


Yellow Eyes

by DeadDogWalking



Series: Yellow Eyes [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Gen, Pokemon AU, other tags will be added as story progressess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 38,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21623440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadDogWalking/pseuds/DeadDogWalking
Summary: After a fateful encounter with a creature just outside of Postwick, Hop is concerned if there has been another Hero Pokemon nobody has even discovered. With the dangers it possesses will he and Gloria be able to solve this mystery?
Series: Yellow Eyes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574227
Comments: 38
Kudos: 231





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I played sword so Hop has the shield doggo. .Anyway this is an AU and I don't really want to spoil anything.

Hop awoke to the shouts of protest from the local farmer across from his house. It was still dark causing the sleepy teen to peek at his alarm clock, groaning in frustration at seeing it was only 4:45 am. Sonia had given him the day off from his assistant duties the day before as he was overworking himself with his studies. He reluctantly agreed, hoping he could spend the day sleeping late then playing with his Pokémon for the rest of the day. 

With the way the Farmer was still shouting at the top of his lungs, that was not going to be the case. 

“I understand there are nickit problems near this town but does this really mean he has to shout so loud!” Grumbled Hop, turning over in his bed and pushing a pillow on his ear to attempt to block the sound. 

Hop was about to fall back to sleep when another shout came from the farmer, this time louder and with terror lacing his voice. This caused the teen to jump out of bed, at the same time Zamazenta came out of its pokeball, ears pricked forward and a growl rumbling in their throat. 

Hop knew to trust the legendarys instincts when it came to stuff like this, and with being one of the modern heroes of Galar, he knew he would have to help the farmer with Zamazenta by his side. Jumping out of bed, he quickly shoved on his coat and shoes, running down the stairs with Zamazenta at his heels. 

“Let’s hope we get there in time buddy. Don’t want the poor farmer to get done in by a wild pack of nickits do we?” He joked, earning a grunt from Zamazenta in response as he sneaked out the door. 

It was quiet once he got to the entrance to the garden, Hop wondering if the farmer had finally solved the problem and went back to bed. But Zamazenta was still on guard, standing in front of Hop as if something was going to attack at any moment. Hop wished Gloria was here. Having Zacian here would have calmed him down a little bit. Unfortunately, she had to attend a meeting in Wyndon that she could not get out of. Hop missed his rival as much as he missed his brother. 

A sudden howl split through the silent night, followed by wooloo cries and the farmer’s screams. Zamazenta charged, not waiting for Hop to catch up as they bounded to the rescue. Hop barely even registered what was happening before running to catch up with his pokémon down the first route. It proved to be a struggle as a couple of wild wooloo ran towards his direction, bleating in panic as they headed to safety up the hill. 

This defiantly was not a pack of wild nickits. 

“Dubwool!” He called, letting his pokémon out as she bleated at him, “Make sure the escaped wooloo are safe and stay at the top of the hill, I’ll be back in a sec.” 

The pokémon nodded, charging towards the wooloo pack to begin her task. Hop sighed, running towards the farmer as the noise got worse. 

Skidding to a halt at the smashed gate that lead into the wooloo field, the teen gasped at the sight before him. The poor farmer was on the ground, holding his right leg in pain. From what Hop could see, it really did look broken. Following the destruction of the field he was met with a strange but terrifying sight. Zamazenta stood tall, teeth bared and ears back. He was blocking something, something he was not letting Hop see. 

The farmer shouted towards him, causing Hop to run over to him and help him up. The poor man winced in pain as Hop apologised, reaching for Rillabooms pokeball to help to man get to the pokémon centre. 

“Don’t worry sir, I’ll get you out of here as soon as poss-” 

Hop was interrupted as Zamazenta was thrown to the side, the creature that attacked the poor farmer in full view. Hop had never seen anything like it before, as yellow eyes locked contact with his. It was too dark to make out any details but the creature was large, nearly taller than Zamazenta and Zacian themselves. 

Hop gulped, staying still as the farmer trembled at the massive creature before them. The creature growled, sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light as it pounced forward, jaws open. Before it could reach them however, Zamazenta quickly recovered bounding forward and gripping the creatures front left leg in their jaws. The creature whined, snapping at the legendary as Hop backed off as quickly as possible, heading towards the route before calling on his Rillaboom. 

“Take the farmer to the pokémon centre and meet me back here.” He instructed, Rillaboom grunting in response as he gently scooped up the injured farmer in his arms before heading into Wedgehurst. 

Hop turned back towards the fight, watching as Zamazenta pinned the creature to the ground, blood around their muzzle from the bite to the creature's leg. Hop winced, he had never seen Zamazenta this violent since their battle with Eternaus. Zamazenta stared into the eyes of the creature for a long time, not making a single noise as they slowly let the creature up. 

The large being shook itself off, whining as it limped out of the field onto the route, stopping as it noticed Hop. The teen put on a brave face, standing in his battle stance with his hand reaching for Corviknight’s Pokeball just in case the creature attempted another attack. He was lucky as the creature just stared at him, putting its ears back and whining like it was apologizing. Hop did not think that was enough of an apology for injuring the farmer and scaring the wooloo. 

The creature took a step towards him but stopped when hearing Zamazentas growl. Now that it was in better lighting Hop could get a good look at what he was dealing with. The creature looked a lot like Zamazenta and Zacian without their armour, fluffy purple fur covering its entire body with a large tail between its legs. Its front left leg was bleeding from the bite that Zamazenta gave it. Hop smirked knowing that would teach it a lesson. The yellow eyes of the creature looked between Hop and Zamazenta before turning and limping up the hill, Hop following as to make sure the wooloo were safe as he watched the creature head into the slumbering weald. 

That was strange he was certain that there were only two legendary wolves in the slumbering weald. Zamazenta did not seem to recognise this one though. Once the creature was gone, he turned back to his pokémon, Rillaboom and Dubwool returning from their completed tasks and waiting to go back to sleep in their pokeballs. Hop returned them and turned to Zamazenta. The wolf looked lost in thought and refused to go back into the pokeball, choosing to stay outside and keep guard. Hop could not blame them, after what they witnessed tonight, he would not feel safe to go back to sleep if no one was watching for the creature. 

On his way to his room he stopped outside of Leon's room, the empty feeling of his favourite people not being here began to make him feel upset. He would have to call Gloria tomorrow anyway to discuss what happened with the farmer, maybe even ask Piers or Sonia if they have ever heard of another wolf before. With that he opened his door and crashed into his bed without another thought, falling asleep straight away after the exhausting event that happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Hop did not get much sleep for the rest of the night, too anxious about the event that occurred and worrying if Zamazenta would be okay out there on their own. As soon as his alarm clock hit 8am, he dived out of bed and pulled his shoes on before grabbing his coat and bag. Even though Sonia gave him the day off, he really had to ask her if she knew anything about the strange creature before it attacked another flock of wooloo. 

Rushing down the stairs, he stopped by the kitchen to grab some breakfast before he left. His mother smiled at him as the teen walked into the kitchen, passing him a piece of toast as he set his bag down on the table. 

“We got news this morning of how the farmer is.” She spoke, a worried glance over Hop to make sure he was injury free. “His leg was broken so he’s been sent home for a few weeks to let it rest, the rest of his family are taking care of the wooloo.” 

“That’s great,” Hop sighed, “not the broken leg part though, it looked pretty swollen last night when I helped him get to the pokémon centre.” 

His mother chuckled, ruffling his hair as he shouted in protest. 

“Well even though I am glad you helped the farmer, rushing into action like that so soon after the whole legendary fiasco is a bit dangerous, hero of Galar or not.” 

Hop nodded, his mum had a point. If it was not for Zamazenta last night he was sure he would have ended up like the poor farmer or worse. It reminded him of the eternatus battle, seeing his brother lying on the floor from the explosion of the pokeball, his charizard standing over him protectively as if daring anything else to harm him. 

He stopped thinking of that event when his mother called for him. 

“Sorry mum, what were you saying?” 

“I said that Leon called this morning. He’s coming to stay for a few days, says he’s missed us and needs a break from the battle tower.” 

Hop perked up immediately, excitement filling his chest at his mother’s words. Leon had been coming home a lot more frequently since Gloria became champion, but the responsibilities of cleaning up Rose’s mess along with the newly acquired dynamaxing issue has kept him away for a couple of months. Maybe Leon would be able to help him figure out what the new creature was, maybe he could even catch it. Hop then remembered that last time Leon attempted to catch a legendary, it did not end too well. 

“He said he’s going to be here by tea time so make sure you’re back by then. And please don’t go getting messy, I know your brother can’t really say anything on that matter but I’m not having mud and grime at my dinner table.” She instructed, bending down to kiss him on the top of his head. 

Hop nodded, finishing up his toast as he grabbed his bag and left, shouting a goodbye to his grandparents before he headed out. 

Zamazenta was still in the same position Hop had left them in, hunched over, ears pricked forward and ready to strike. Once they saw Hop however, they yawned, stretching and shook their fur out before padding over to the teen. 

“You really stayed in that position all night, that’s dedication.” Hop chuckled as the legendary huffed, flicking Hop gently with their tail. 

They headed out onto route one, Hop waving at the farmers family as they shouted their thank you for helping the farmer. Hop nodded, smiling as they entered Wedgehurst. He had to talk to Sonia about the creature, no doubt she would not have heard about it seeing as the whole town where discussing the incident. 

“I heard it was a wild beast, bent on trying to eat the wooloo.” 

“The poor farmer, I’m surprised he only got a broken leg with that situation.” 

“If Hop wasn’t there who knows what would have happened to the poor lad.” 

Hop tried to avoid the conversations, smiling and saying thanks to whoever complemented him on saving the farmer. Zamazenta even got a few free berries for their brave work. 

When Hop finally entered the Pokémon research lab, he was greeted by Sonia’s yamper skidding into his legs, tail wagging and tongue sticking out of its mouth in excitement. Zamazenta barked softly at the yamper, said pokémon yapping in return as it ran into the kitchen, Zamazenta following the smaller pokémon with their tail wagging. 

Hop laughed at the antics of the two pokémon before turning to head into the main part of the lab. When he arrived, he saw Sonia hunched over her desk, scribbling down notes in a spare notebook. Coughing into his hand, he tried not to laugh as Sonia jumped, eyes wide with a startled expression. Once she calmed down, she turned to him, sending a glare towards his direction. 

“I thought I told you to take the day off?” She questioned, Hop shrugging in response as he pulled a chair up next to Sonia. 

“About that, you heard about what happened last night?” 

“I know people were talking about a beast attacking the farmer, but it could have easily been a pack of nickits.” She laughed, stopping when she saw the expression on Hop’s face. 

“It wasn’t a pack of nickits Sonia. Me and Zamazenta were there. It looked like another legendary wolf.” 

With his words Sonia was up in an instant, gathering her paperwork and pushing them into her satchel. Hop knew that she would believe him, seeing as she was the one who discovered the truth about Galar’s history. She turned towards him, grinning wide as the excitement lit her eyes. 

“What are we waiting for?” She asked, Hop scrambling up onto his feet and rushing to join her. 

“We have another mystery on our hands.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, the next chapter will be up tomorrow and will be a lot longer.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, where did you say the creature went after the fight?” Sonia questioned, turning back to look at Hop as they headed up Route 1. 

“It went into the Slumbering Weald after the fight, that’s how I made the connection that it may be another lost hero, but Zamazenta did not recognize it.” 

Sonia nodded, scribbling down the notes as they neared the gate. They stopped outside of Gloria’s house, a loud crash from outside the door caused them to turn to look at the door. Standing at the door stood Gloria’s mother, a pained expression on her face as the budews in her garden danced around a broken plant pot. Upon noticing the two of them she waved at them, asking them to come over. Hop could not refuse. He has known Gloria’s mother since he was a baby. He was Glorias best friend for a reason. 

“Hey Sonia! Hi Hop! What brings you two up here?” She smiled at the two, stepping past the broken pot to meet them. 

“Hi Ms, we’re just heading out into the Slumbering Weald, it’s another research project.” Hop explained as Gloria’s mum crossed her arms and nodded. 

“Well Gloria did just get home,” Hop’s eyes widened in surprise, she was not due home for another few days, “She managed to get out of the meeting because a fight between Bede and Raihan broke out. I’ll quickly go get her.” 

Hop was bouncing on his feet as Gloria’s mum ran back into the house, Sonia smiling at him as he turned around towards Zamazenta. The legendary wolf looked excited to see its counterpart again, tail swaying slightly as yamper jumped around their paws. 

“Hop!” Turning around at the voice of his best friend, his arms were suddenly filled as Gloria crashed into him, hugging him tightly. 

Hop returned the hug, glad that Gloria was finally back. He could not imagine this new adventure without her. They separated the hug after a few minutes, both of them beginning to fill each other in on what they missed. Zacian came over at some point, nuzzling the yamper and then dipping their head to Zamazenta, the other doing it in return. Sonia soon interrupted their conversation, stating that they had to head into the Slumbering Weald before it got too late. 

“Well you aren’t leaving without me. I don’t want to miss out on any bit of adventure, especially with those boring meetings filling up my days.” Gloria insisted, already heading for the gate. 

“’Course, Gloria. Wouldn’t want to miss this for the world, right?” Hop jabbed, grinning as Gloria just rolled her eyes, giggling a little as they headed up the path, Sonia just behind them. 

Once they entered the Slumbering Weald, they noticed that it was a lot more eerie than usual. It was silent, not even any wild pokémon where about to try and battle them. Zamazenta and Zacian even looked put off by the environment, which made Hop feel even worse seeing as they rested here for years. They walked silently, heading for the ruins at the end of the weald, hoping to find some clues there. 

“It’s more silent than usual,” Noted Sonia, “keep together, we don’t want that thing to jump out and separate us.” 

Hop and Gloria nodded, staying close with their pokémon circling the outside, Zamazenta and Zacian on full alert. As they neared the resting place, they noticed that the fog started to get heavier the closer they got the bridge. 

“This is like the first time we met Zacian. It can’t be good if that’s the case.” Hop whispered, reaching for his Rillaboom while Gloria reached for her Cinderace. 

They crossed the bridge, squinting as Sonia walked ahead, reaching the ruins as they began to investigate the area. Sonia decided to search the ruins itself, whilst Hop and Gloria took the surrounding forest. Before leaving, Gloria sent out her Cinderace, instructing him to stay with Sonia and fend off anything that tries to attack. With that they headed off, Zacian and Zamazenta out in front with their senses on high alert. 

“Sonia said to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.” Hop spoke quietly, turning to Gloria as she trudged forward. 

“That’s a wee bit hard though, seeing as this entire place is suspicious.” 

They walked for what felt like hours until Zacian stopped, a low growl in their throat. Zamazenta joined in after a few moments, standing in front of the two trainers as Zacian continued forward. It felt like forever until Zacian came back, a clump of purple fur in their mouth as they carried on walking back to where they left Sonia. Zamazenta grunted, following as the two teenagers followed, keeping close to the large pokémon until they reached Sonia. 

“Thanks, Zacian, this will have to be analysed so we can see what it belongs to.” Hop heard Sonia say as they neared the ruins, her turning to greet them as Gloria put Cinderace back into his pokeball. 

“Hey Sonia, we couldn’t come across anything but the fur. Zacian and Zamazenta deemed it safe enough to come back.” 

Sonia nodded placing the fur into an evidence bag and carefully placing it into her satchel. 

“I couldn’t pick up anything here either. Though Zacian has found something helpful. Let’s head back so I can get this analysed.” Sonia explained as they began to head down the path. 

The walk back seemed different, the wild pokémon where back but still kept their distance from the two legendary pokémon who guarded the humans from them. Hop knew he could take any of them on in battle, but he had to get home soon or his mother would kill him if he was late to dinner. 

Finally, the gate was in sight and after saying goodbye to Gloria and Sonia he ran straight home. Opening the door for Zamazenta to enter first, he headed over to the coat rack to hang up his coat before stretching. He was happy that they found something, meaning that their search was not as useless as he thought it was going to be. He quickly said hello to purrloin, scratching behind her ear before heading into the kitchen. 

“Well look who finally decided to show his face?” A familiar voice spoke up as soon as Hop entered the room. “Finally decided to come see your older brother in his time off.” 

Hop smiled, rushing over to his brother to tackle him in a hug. He stopped short when he saw what his mother was doing to Leon, the first aid kit lying on the table. From what Hop could see, Leon was injured. A massive healing cut ran around his left arm, down near his wrist. His mother was cleaning it, causing Leon to wince slightly as she grabbed the bandages to start dressing the wound. 

“You want to tell me how you got injured? You didn’t get lost again and had to fight a wild Arcanine did you?” Hop began, worry lacing his voice. 

Leon just chuckled, adjusting his hoodie as their mother began the first layer of dressing. 

“It’s nothing, just got a bit carried away with a farmer’s boltund.” Leon explained, wincing in pain as their mother finished patching him up. “Careful mum, it’s still fresh.” 

“If you didn’t watch what that Boltund was doing then this wouldn’t be happening. I’d ground you if you were not busy all the time.” Their mother scolded, making Leon pull a face at her stern tone. Hop knew he didn’t miss that. 

Sitting across from his brother, Hop began to explain what happened the night before, wondering if Leon had any input or had found anything in Rose’s files that could lead to the identity of this new creature. 

“Sorry little bro, but I've heard nothing of the sort.” He told him, nursing a cup of tea with his cold hands. 

Hop deflated a little. He had hoped that Leon would have come across something new to help with this mystery. Sipping at his own tea, he noticed how Leon was fidgeting slightly, a pained expression on his face. 

“That Boltund must have done a number on your arm seeing how bad your arm looked.” He brought up, watching as Leon’s eyes drifted to the bandage around his lower left arm. 

“Yeah it did a great job at biting me. Took the poor farmer a while to get it off too.” 

Hop new there was something off about that straight away. He always knew when his brother was lying, Leon being just as bad as he was with directions. He did not dare bring it up though as the former champion looked exhausted. 

“Gloria came home today too you know. She managed to sneak out of the meetings because a fight broke out between Bede and Raihan.” Hop explained as Leon snorted. 

“I’m glad she’s champion without Rose breathing down her neck. He was most of the reasons I could never make it home.” His voice was low when he spoke, eyes downcast at the thought of the previous chairman. “Now look at me, cleaning up his messes.” 

“But you’re still protecting Galar, even acting as a new chairman. An even better one than Rose. Look at the work you did at the Battle Tower. Gloria said she struggled to beat you that time.” Hop explained, standing up to place his cup in the sink. 

Leon smiled, standing up to pull Hop into a hug, being careful of his injured arm. Hop wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist. It had been a long time since they had a hug like this and Hop did not want to let go. Leon pulled back, grinning at Hop as he placed his own cup on top of Hops in the sink. 

“Thanks bro, I really needed to hear that. So how about we have a pokémon battle after dinner? I’ll go easy on you.” Leon challenged, a playful glint in his eye. 

Hop would never refuse a chance to try and beat his brother. Even the former champion was still strong to take down. He headed for the living room, his older brother following as they entered. He chuckled at the sight before him. Purrloin had decided to nap on top of Zamazenta, who could barely fit in the large pokémon bed in the corner of the room. The legendary flicking their tail at Hop as a greeting. He turned towards Leon, seeing his brother freeze up at the sight of the legendary. Zamazenta seemed to notice this too as they tilted their head at the odd behaviour. Leon’s right hand reached for his bandaged wrist, rubbing the injury as he slowly backed out of the room. 

“I’ll see you at dinner little bro. Travelling from Wyndon tired me out so I’m going to go rest up.” 

Hop nodded as Leon ran up the stairs, turning back to Zamazenta with a confused look. 

“I wonder what all that was about?”


	4. Chapter 4

“Hop can you go get your brother up? Dinner will be ready any minute now.” 

Hop nodded, jumping up from the sofa and shooting up the stairs. His brother had concerned him earlier, first the injury and then the weird reaction to Zamazenta before bolting to his room. Hop was certain it was because he was tired, the Battle Tower was probably taking up a lot of his time, so of course the first thing Lee would want to do was take a nap. Hop could remember when he was younger, they would both sneak out onto the wooloo fields and nap between the flock. Though it did end up with an annoyed farmer ushering them out of the way before the yampers came in to herd. 

Stopping outside of Leon's room, Hop took a second to think about how to wake his brother up. Usually he would cannonball onto the bed, causing his brother to jump up with a scream, but with his injured arm, Hop did not want to risk it. Maybe a calmer approach would benefit his brother better. Hop would feel terrible if he made his brother’s injury worse in any way. 

Opening the door, he quietly slipped in, clicking the door into place. He stifled a laugh at the sight of his brother. Leon was sprawled out on the bed, head thrown back and snoring loudly, arms and legs up in the air or hanging off the side of the bed. It had been a long time since Hop had seen his brother asleep in his own room, the dusty air nearly gone since it became inhabited again. Pulling out his phone, he quickly snapped an image before sending it to Gloria. He knew she would probably share it around the league and Leon would get messages off of Raihan later teasing him for it. 

Slowly he walked towards his brother’s sleeping form, placing a hand on Leon’s shoulder before gently shaking him. Leon stirred, looking up at Hop with dark circles around his eyes. Hop did not know it was that much sleep he had missed. 

“Wow Lee. You look like you’ve missed a few nights of sleep. No wonder you said you were tired.” Hop chided, sitting on the end of his brothers' bed as the oldest sibling sat up. 

“Yeah well being busy all the time does that to someone. I needed a chance to catch up on my beauty sleep. Raihan said I was lacking in that factor.” Leon smirked as Hop scoffed in response. 

“Well seeing how ugly you are, you’re going to need more than a couple of hours.” 

Hop screamed as Leon tackled him, jamming his fingers into his little brothers' sides as Hop shouted for help, breaking off into a stream of giggles as Leon did not give up. 

“Lee! Let me go!” 

“Not a chance! This is what you get!” 

The tickling match lasted for another ten minutes before Leon let go. Hop was breathless, trying his best to calm down and stop laughing. Leon stood up, grabbing his hoodie and pulling it on before turning back to the giggly teen. Hop sat up, finally calm enough to breathe. He flashed a grin at Leon, who stuck his tongue out in return. 

“We should get downstairs before mum has our heads for missing dinner.” Hop joked, nudging Leon’s side as they both left the room and headed downstairs. 

Entering the kitchen, they sat in their respective seats, Hop sitting next to his mum whilst Leon sat on his other side. Their mother raised an eyebrow, a silent question of what took them so long. Both siblings just looked at each other and laughed, causing their mum to shake her head and carry on dishing out the food. 

Dinner was filled with conversation. Hop noticed that Leon was staying quiet unless being spoken to. That was weird, Leon usually would not stop talking during family meals. Now he just sat hunched over his plate, playing with his food while sometimes taking a bite. He would smile as he spoke but Hop knew it never reached his eyes. It was the same smile he used for the press when he was not feeling up for an interview. 

Once dinner was finished and cleared, both brothers headed into the living room, Leon flopping down onto the couch. Hop sat next to him, turning towards him with a worried expression on his face. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been a bit off today.” 

“I told you Hop,” Leon began as he looked over, a ghost of a smile on his face, “I’m just tired from the travelling.” 

“But today you were injured, and you never boasted at the dinner table, and then you got scared by Zamazenta.” Hop began, hazel eyes wide as Leon looked away. 

“I told you it’s nothing. Stop worrying about me mate. I’m big enough to take care of myself, aren't I?” 

Hop wanted to punch his brother. Being stubborn was one thing Leon was good at. 

“Sorry Lee,” Hop apologised, “I’m just worried about you, with your injury and all. I don’t want you to end up in the hospital again.” 

“It’s okay little dude, that won’t have to happen again now that you and Gloria managed to capture that thing.” Leon’s voice was soft as he spoke, wrapping his good arm around Hop for a side hug. 

The rest of the day was spent with the boys watching movies, occasionally the odd chore from their mother until she headed off to her bed. It was getting late, the sun setting, but Hop did not care. He wanted to hang out with Leon the rest of the night, hoping to finish their movie before showing him his new video game. 

“I should head to bed. I have to ask Sonia about the dynamax crystals those two royal idiots where using. We found something I think she could help us with.” 

Hop perked up at this. He faced his brother, a grim expression on his face. 

“They had no right doing that too Zamazenta. Be careful though Lee, I don’t want you to get hurt during this.” 

Leon laughed, ruffling his brother's hair as he stood up, stretching before letting out a yawn. 

“Well night little dude. I’ll see you in the morning.” Leon said, walking towards the stairs and disappearing up into his room. 

Hop was a little disappointed, but understood why Leon would want to rest before meeting up with Sonia. She could get into something very quickly, and would often pull all nighters to finish research. He hoped that she was not doing that with the creature situation. 

He headed upstairs, playing a few rounds of his game before deciding to call it quits. He climbed into his bed, getting comfortable before shutting his eyes. Sleep never came. The way Leon was acting made him worry, and when he worried, he could not sleep. Maybe checking on Leon would ease him a bit. Slipping out of bed, he snuck towards Leon’s room, opening the door to peek inside. The sight that greeted him did not ease his worries. 

Though dark, Hop could make out a large shape looming over his brother’s bed. Stepping back, the floor boards creaked causing the creature to turn around, yellow eyes piercing into his soul. Hop stood still, hoping the thing would just jump out of the open window and leave his brother alone. 

It did not. 

Instead it began to move towards him, teeth bared and a low growl emitting from its throat. Hop gulped, standing still as the creature got closer, towering over the teenager as it began to sniff him. It stopped, eyes widening as it shoved its muzzle into his face, a whine escaping its throat at its ears went back. The creature began to back away, heading to the window before turning back to look at Hop. It whimpered, lowering its head towards him before turning back to the window and jumping out. Hop ran towards the window, looking outside to see it head towards the Slumbering Weald, a low howl spreading through Postwick. 

“Lee!” Hop exclaimed, turning back to his brother’s bed to find it empty. He must have snuck out to follow it when Hop was not looking. 

Hop rushed into his room, grabbing Zamazentas pokeball before calling on the legendary. He quickly explained what happened to the wolf while they ran downstairs, rushing out the door and heading straight towards Gloria’s house. Her light was still on as Hop knocked on her window. A few seconds later Gloria opened the window, her eyes wide. 

“You heard the howl?” She questioned, Hop nodding as he explained his encounter. 

“I think Lee followed it. He’s going to get lost or even worse more hurt. We have to stop him!” 

Gloria nodded, closing her window and reappearing at the front door with Zacian in tow. They both ran down to the gate, heading up the path to the Slumbering Weald. 

Hop just hoped they got there in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might not update in a few days but there is more to come!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys this chapter is a short one as I've been busy today. If you have any questions regarding the Yellow Eyes AU shoot me a message on my tumblr, wayward-bunny. Anyway I hope you enjoy!

“We should call Sonia.” Hop suggested, turning to face Gloria as they crept through the grass. 

“We can’t! She’s out with Magnolia tonight.” Gloria reminded him. 

Sonia had been talking about taking her grandmother out for dinner that night for a couple of days now. How could he have forgotten? 

“Well looks like we are on our own. I just hope Leon isn’t lost; you know how pants he is with directions.” 

They headed up the path, the walk familiar enough to be done in the dark. Zamazenta and Zacian flanked them, ears pricked and alert, growling at anything that moved. If the situation was not so dire Hop would have laughed at the legendry's antics. They avoided a couple of wild skwovets running across their path, both of them looked frightened of something behind them. 

“We have to go the way they came from. Where ever that thing has gone, Lee has probably found it by now.” Hop whispered as Gloria nodded, heading into the thicket off of the path. 

Hop felt Zamazenta press up against him as it got dark, the unfamiliar territory making him slip. He was glad that the wolves were willing to help, both concerned about the situation as much as Hop was. He just hoped Lee was okay. The poor farmer got away but if Leon tried to fight it, Hop did not want to think about what would happen. 

They soon made it into a lit clearing, the moon shining down like a spotlight as they walked further into the centre. It was quiet, Zacian and Zamazenta began to sniff around the area, trying to pick up a fresh sent of what would appear. Gloria decided that splitting up would be easier to explore the clearing, Hop agreeing as he ran off to the right to begin his search. 

“Lee!” Hop whispered, making sure his voice was not loud enough to attract unwanted attention, but still loud enough for his brother to pick up. 

Hop waited a few seconds before shouting his Brother’s name again, each time getting more desperate. At some point Gloria finished her search, walking over to Hop before placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“There’s no sign of the creature or Leon. We have to head back before it gets too late.” Hop huffed in response, turning around to face Gloria. 

“But we can’t leave yet! Leon is still out there and if he’s hurt again, I don’t know what I would do.” Hop snapped, tears coming to his eyes as Gloria sighed, pulling him into a hug. 

“We will find the creature, but not tonight. Leon can take care of himself; he was the one that walked out of the hospital after the eternatus battle. He was unbeatable for a reason.” 

“You’re right,” Hop sighed in defeat, “I just don’t know what I would do without him. He’s like half of my impulse control.” 

Both teens laughed as Zacian approached them, jerking their head to the side to let them know that it was time to leave. The walk back was quiet, Hop holding on tight to Zamazenta’s fur as the legendary lead him back onto the path. Gloria stood close to Hop, an arm resting on his back as to make sure he did not fall. Hop was glad she was there; he would have searched all night without stopping. 

“Do you want to crash at mine for the night? I know you can hardly sleep when you beat yourself up about something.” Gloria suggested, concern shining in her eyes. 

“I would like that, yeah. We’ve not had a sleepover in a while, and I’m sure Sonia will kill me if I show up to the lab half asleep.” 

They left through the gate, turning to head up through Gloria’s garden before stopping at the front door. Zamazenta decided to lie down in the front garden, Zacian joining in by curling up to their other side. Both Budews awoke, moving to the legendary before chirping loudly. Hop chuckled as they climbed on top of the red and blue wolf, falling back to sleep instantly. 

“They’re guarding again.” Gloria noted, turning to open her door and let them both in. 

Since it was pretty late, they headed into Gloria’s room with silent footsteps as to not awake Gloria’s mother. Hop began to turn to leave the room when Gloria stopped him, pushing him towards her bed before grabbing the spare blanket and pillow from her closet. 

“Take my bed for the night. I want you refreshed for tomorrow before we head to Sonia’s. I’ll be fine on the sofa.” 

Before Hop could respond she left, heading down to the living room to camp out there. The teen was grateful for the offer, their sofa was not the comfiest thing to lie on. Taking off his shoes, bag and coat he climbed into the bed before shutting his eyes. He hoped Leon would be okay, charizard was probably chewing him out for dragging her out late at night to try and catch the creature. Maybe he could help them next time the creature showed up, the beast was in Leon’s room after all. It must have heard of his legend before, choosing to take a good look at the former champion in case he came after it. 

Pulling out his phone he sent a quick text to his brother, asking if he was okay and if he was still visiting Sonia tomorrow. Locking the device, he placed it on the floor before turning in the bed. He closed his eyes and after a long time managed to get to sleep. 

Hopefully tomorrow Sonia would have some answers.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late in the afternoon when Hop woke up, sitting up in the bed and reaching for his phone. Unlocking it, he checked his messages, disappointed to find Leon had yet to text him back. Placing the phone back onto the floor he rubbed his eyes before sliding off the bed, getting ready to head out as soon as Gloria was ready. She probably was, seeing as she took the living room sofa that night. 

Opening the door and heading into the kitchen he was greeted to the sight of Gloria’s mother, sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. She looked up, smiling at Hop as she gestured to the fridge. 

“Help yourself Hop, you know you don’t have to ask here.” She prompted, Hop heading over to see what he could quickly snack on. 

He settled for an orange, slicing it up before sitting at the table across from Gloria’s mother. 

“Thank you for letting me stay the night.” 

“It’s no problem. I was a bit surprised to see Gloria on the sofa this morning but once she explained why I understood straight away.” Her voice was kind, a soft smile on her lips as Hop nodded, finishing his late breakfast before standing up to wash his hands. 

As he was about to leave, Gloria walked through the front door, Zacian and Zamazenta in tow. Gloria’s Munchlax opened its eyes at the commotion, grunting before closing them again to continue its nap. 

“How was your sleep?” She asked. 

“It was great. Thank you for your sacrifice.” He responded, bowing dramatically as Gloria snickered before lightly punching him in the shoulder. 

As they were about to leave, they returned the legendary pokémon to their respective pokeballs. Waving goodbye to Gloria’s mother, they headed out onto the route and into Wedgehurst, turning to go straight to the research lab. 

“Hey Sonia, we’re here!” Hop called as he entered the building, hanging his bag up on the rack before heading in. 

Gloria followed behind him, placing her bag next to his as she headed for the kitchen to pour herself a cup of water. Hop headed towards Sonia’s desk spotting the ginger ponytail of his teacher before stopping. She was looking through a microscope, stopping every few seconds to jot down notes. She turned to Hop, her eyes wide. 

“I think I got something!” 

That was all Hop had to hear before he was dragging Gloria over, sitting next to the professor so she could explain her notes. 

“Okay so hear me out,” Sonia began, pulling her notebook closer, “while analysing the fur samples, I noticed some dynamax fragments, which doesn’t make much sense because the pokémon did not grow to a giant size. But we know that Zamazenta and Zacian do not have the ability to dynamax. I have a feeling it is linked to them.” 

“That explains why they have been so worked up about it, but would they not recognize another legendary hero?” Hop questioned, eyebrow raised as Sonia continued. 

“Yes and no. They know that this is linked to them but they have no idea who this creature is because it’s never been known in Galar. Look at the history, there have always been two of them. This is a new threat to them as well as Galar.” 

“It’s also been acting like Zamazenta when Swordward and Shieldbert pumped them with Galar particles. Losing control and injuring people and pokémon.” Gloria pointed out. 

“Do you think I can calm it down like I did with Zamazenta?” Hop suggested. 

“I wouldn’t suggest that just yet, not when we hardly know what we are dealing with.” 

Sonia had a point, it was luck that Zamazenta trusted Hop enough to calm down, choosing to fight by Hop’s side for the foreseeable future. 

The rest of the day went on as such, Hop studying up on his lessons whilst also helping Sonia with her research. Gloria left at some point, saying that she had to go to Motostoke to run an errand for Kabu. She left Zacian with them though, stating that she would rather have the legendary there just encase the creature came back. Hop knew her team was still powerful even when it had one pokémon down. 

“Hop can you take Yamper out? He wants to stretch his legs.” Sonia informed, Hop nodding as he jumped out of his seat, the Yamper barking and heading for the door. 

Hop headed outside, calling for the pokémon to not head too far as he sat on the fence outside. He checked his phone again. Still nothing. This was not like Leon, he would always respond to Hop’s messages, even when he was still Champion. Speaking of which, Leon was not acting like himself at all since he came to Postwick. Leon was never quiet and standoffish before. Yeah there was definitely something wrong with his brother. 

Just as he was about to head back inside, cheers came from somewhere in the middle of the town. Hop followed the noise, stopping to see his brothers Charizard standing in the middle of the crowd, Leon beside her as he spoke to the people of Wedgehurst. 

“Mr Leon, how have you been?” 

“You haven’t visited in ages.” 

“Would you like some berries for your pokémon?” 

Hop noticed that Leon was trying to move through the crowd, people still following him and asking questions about his whereabouts. 

“Sorry guys, I’m on important business right now and I have to get going. I’ll come back eventually to answer all your questions.” He shouted before dashing towards Hop, the crowd thankfully getting the hint and carrying on with their day to day lives. 

Leon stopped beside Hop, catching his breath before winking at his little brother. 

“Works every time.” He began, “Please tell me that Sonia is in her lab. I tried to find her at Magnolia's house and just got an earful instead.” 

Hop chuckled, nodding before calling for Yamper, the pokémon running over to them while bouncing on his paws. Leon smiled at the Yamper’s antics, bending down to pet its head. Hop headed back to the lab, Leon and pokémon in tow. Once they entered the lab, Leon ran towards Sonia, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the top floor. Hop blinked, knowing that he should not listen to their conversation but curiosity got the better of him. He stood under the stairs, signalling to the pokémon to stay quiet as he listened in. 

“They were up to something else before they were stopped Sonia. The files your previous assistant had on the matter were terrifying.” Leon sounded terrified. 

“And you are sure that they were using Zamazenta for a bigger goal?” 

“Of course, I am!” Hop jumped at the tone of Leon’s voice; it had never sounded so angry before. 

“Calm down. I’ll take a look at the files and then get back to you. Just relax and enjoy your break, if not for your own sake then for Hop. He’s really missed you.” Sonia’s voice was calm when she spoke to Leon, like trying to calm down a frightened animal. 

“Okay Sonia I will. Thank you for agreeing to help out.” 

Hop moved straight to the kitchen once they finished their conversation, waiting for the both of them to come down. He leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers against the surface top. A few minutes later Leon came into the kitchen, sitting at the table as he waited for Hop to join him. As soon as Hop sat down, he began. 

“I know you were listening in.” Leon began, smirking as Hop turned red in embarrassment. 

“Hey it’s not my fault you’re hiding stuff again. You know what happened last time with Rose.” Hop stated as Leon pulled a face. 

“I just don’t want you to worry, which is a pretty big ask.” Hop nodded waiting for Leon to continue. “It’s just that sorting these messes out has been driving me crazy and I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.” 

“I get that, I’ve hardly been sleeping too with the whole creature thing going on lately.” 

“What creature thing?” Hop opened his eyes wide; his brother did not know. 

“You know, the new apposed legendary that's been running around the Slumbering Weald. You chased it last night.” 

“I was in my bed all night.” Leon responded, his voice sounding desperate. 

“You went to chase it; it was in your room! Lee, we have to find it we need the champion to catch -” Hop was interrupted as Leon slammed his hand down onto the table, eyes blazing as he stood up. 

“No Hop! You deal with it with Gloria, she’s been the champion for months now. I don’t want to help you in this! I’m too overworked. I came here to relax not get mixed up in more legendary bullshit.” 

Hop saw the realisation hit Leon like a truck. The oldest looked terrible, his breathing quick as he turned to leave. 

“Leon you didn’t mean-” 

“I’m sorry Hop, I have to go.” 

And with that he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is wayward-bunny if you want to ask questions about the Yellow Eyes AU there!


	7. Chapter 7

Sonia set down a cup of tea in front of Hop, sitting across from the teenager. Hop looked up at her, eyes dull, before picking up the cup and taking a sip. He was taken aback by Leon’s outburst; the last time Leon got that angry was when Rose kept him trapped at the tower. But his aggression was never directed at Hop before. 

“There’s something wrong with Leon.” He began. 

“He’s just stressed out, he’s here to have a break remember.” 

“No Sonia. He’s been acting weird since he got here, since that creature showed up! It was in his room. There must be some sort of link between them.” 

Sonia was silent for a few minutes, looking down at her hands. Hop understood she could take a lot of time to think but he needed reassurance that he was not the only one noticing his brother’s strange behaviour. 

“You may be onto something. I will have to take a closer look at the fur sample to make sure I'm correct. You’re free to go for today but I’ll call you when I get some results.” 

With that she hurried back to her desk, sitting down to read her notes. Hop took that as his cue to leave, grabbing his bag before heading out. Wedgehurst was nearly empty late at night, most of the town's residents where asleep. Hop did not feel like heading home just yet, choosing to head for route two. Once he got to the bridge, he stopped to release Dubwool before sitting on the bridge, dangling his legs over the side. The sheep pokémon bleated, settling down beside Hop as the purple haired teen leaned against its wool. 

“Things were going great until recently Dubwool.” Hop spoke as the pokémon bleated softly. “I just don’t understand what's going on anymore. Leon is never this agitated, he always seems like he has everything under control, even when he’s in a tight situation.” 

The Dubwool closed its eyes. Hop chuckled, even when it was a Wooloo it was always there when Hop needed him, especially when Leon was away doing the gym challenge. The brothers always had a close relationship, with their father out of the picture and their mother working most of the week, Leon had practically raised him. His grandparents tried their best when Leon was gone, but he was usually a handful for the old pair. 

Growing up with Leon hardly around was hard, but he learned to treasure the moments he did visit. At the start of his journey, he was excited to become a strong pokémon trainer and live up to Leon’s name. He did have a lot of pressure on his shoulders with what his brother managed to achieve. Even though Gloria became the new champion, Hop would ask to do it all again. Just being out in the fresh air and being independent was worth it all. He closed his eyes, relaxing under the night sky as Dubwool dozed off. 

Hop jolted awake at a large noise coming from the middle of Wedgehurst, Dubwool grabbing him by the sleeve before he fell into the river. Standing up, he returned Dubwool before running back towards the town. The closer he got, the clearer the sounds became. He could make out screaming, pokémon cries and the sound of a pokémon battle. He pushed himself further, speeding up as he got to the pokémon centre, the commotion in front of him making him freeze. 

The creature was surrounded by pokémon, the town's residents fighting back against the unexpected beast. It had a look of terror on its face, taking each hit as it came but never attacked back. An Obstagoon roared, slashing at its muzzle whilst a Boltund snapped at its front paws. The creature reared back, ready to strike. Before it could harm any of the pokémon a corviknight dived down, grabbing it by its scruff and tossing it near Hop. Coughing from the dust, Hop looked towards the beast as it laid still on the ground, hardly moving. Was it unconscious? Hop did not want to wait to find out. 

Before he could reach for Zamazenta’s pokeball, the creature stirred. It sat up, shaking itself off before turning to Hop, teeth bared. The townsfolk stayed back; pokémon ready to strike if it made a move to harm him. Gulping, Hop took a step back watching as the creature stood to its full height, opening its jaws as it dived towards him. Hop shielded himself with his arms, closing his eyes to take on the attack. 

It never came. 

Hop opened his eyes to find Leon’s Charizard standing in front of him, the creature’s head rammed into the ground under her foot. 

“Charizard! Where’s Leon?” Hop asked, looking around to try and spot his brother. 

To his disappointment Charizard just shook her head, grabbing the creatures muzzle as it tried to get out from under her grip. The creature whined, yellow eyes glazing over as it lashed its tail in anger. Charizard growled, flapping her wings in a challenge. The beast backed down, Charizard letting go of its muzzle as it backed away into the circle of pokémon. Hop felt bad for it, seeing it begin to cower at the intimidating pokémon that bested it in battle. Hop took a step forward, getting stopped as Zacian and Zamazenta came out of their respective pokeballs. 

“Okay I’ll stay back.” Hop confirmed as the two legendary pokémon looked at him. 

They turned back towards the beast, the similarities between them starting to show. They slowly approached the beast, staying calm as to not scare it off. The beast curled in on itself, in an attempt to make itself smaller as the two heroes approached, whining like a scared pup. Zamazenta made the first move, bowing its head whilst Zacian joined in after a few moments. The creature began to take steps back, heading to the exit that lead onto route one. 

“It’s going to run!” Shouted one of the men in the group, causing the creature to cry out before turning and fleeing up the route. 

Hop cursed silently, running towards Zacian and Zamazenta as they began to give chase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! The next chapter is going to be worth it though and I will reveal the design of the creature with it too!   
> My other social media is wayward-bunny on tumblr


	8. Chapter 8

“We’ve lost it!” Hop exclaimed as he stopped at the beginning of the Slumbering Weald. 

Zamazenta sniffed the air, flicking their tail in annoyance as they could not pick up a scent. Zacian stood by Hop’s side, ears forward and eyes wide. He hoped Charizard could deal with the damage left behind, seeing as she has been in similar situations before. 

“We have to split up, we will cover more ground that way.” Zamazenta turned to him, nudging him back towards the path. “No, I’m staying. I managed to calm you down before I’m sure I can get through to this one.” 

Zamazenta huffed, knowing Hop was not going to back down. They placed their muzzle on top of Hop’s head before turning around and heading in the direction of the ruins. Zacian flicked their ear before heading off to the left side of the path, leaving Hop to explore the right. Trudging through the dense fog, he kept walking until he entered the clearing, he explored the other day with Gloria. 

“It’s creepier than before.” He commented, his hand subconsciously reaching for a pokeball. 

Shaking off his fear, he walked further into the clearing to begin to look for any signs of the creature. Heading towards the back he noticed a large rock between the trees. Staying quiet, he headed towards it, putting his hand near Rillaboom’s pokeball just encase he had to fight. The rock was giant, big enough to cover the whole view of the path. Hop gulped, wishing he listened to Zamazenta and headed back. 

“It’s too late for that now.” He whispered to himself, bracing himself against the rock as he went to look behind it. 

He stopped in his path, sighing as he took in the sight before him. An empty space lay in front him, only ripped black fabric on the floor of the den. He bent down to pick up a strip of the fabric, rubbing it between his fingers before putting it down. 

“It must like it’s bed soft.” 

A twig snapped behind him, causing him to freeze in place. He slowly turned around, stumbling back into the den as the creature towered over him, yellow eyes blazing and teeth bared. A ferocious snarl emitted from its throat, stepping closer to Hop until he was fully backed into the den. He knew he had to make a run for it, but he was too afraid to move. This was not like Zamazenta. This creature was new, no history to its name and incredibly dangerous. Hop bent down, hands out in a peaceful gesture as he attempted to move the creature back enough to make a run for it. The creature grew more agitated, arching it’s back and digging its claws into the ground. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. Just let me leave and I will never disturb you again. I promise.” He kept his voice low, slowing his words as the creature tilted its head. 

Hop risked it. He dived forward, surprising the creature enough to make it out and run into the clearing. He never made it far enough, the creature catching up quickly and knocking him down with its tail. Hop landed on his front, turning onto his back to get up before the creature stopped him, placing a heavy paw on his chest. A set of impressive jaws where in Hop’s face, yellow eyes blazing with anger. 

“Okay maybe that was a bad idea.” 

The creature snorted at that, as if agreeing to Hop’s statement. It sat back on its hunches, letting Hop sit up. The teen tried to stand up, causing the creature to snarl again until he sat back down. 

“I’ll stay down okay. I’m sorry about going into your den.” 

The beast nodded, flicking its tail as if accepting Hop’s apology. They stayed like that for a while, every move that Hop made resulted in a snarl until the creature was happy, he was not going to move. It reminded him of when he was younger, trying to sneak into the wild grass when Leon was not looking, causing his brother to freak out until he stayed out of the area. Speaking of Leon, it was weird how he was nowhere in sight when Charizard showed up. Charizard battled on her own, not like that was any challenge for her. It just did not feel right that Leon was not there to tell her what move to use. 

He must have got lost in thought again as when he paid attention to the creature in front of him, he was surprised to see it a lot calmer. It must have been getting overwhelmed with the loud noises of the pokémon and townsfolk that caused it to attack. It was staring at him from where it sat, as if trying to make out what Hop was thinking. Maybe talking to it would let him move without disturbing it. 

“I bet it was scary out there, being surrounded by all those pokémon.” The creature raised an eyebrow, watching him intently. “I understand that feeling. I was terrified at the start of my journey. I didn’t really understand how my brother managed it at first. But I had my friends with me, along with my pokémon to keep me company.” 

The creature whined, urging him to continue. 

“I had a lot to live up too at first, with my brother being Champion before Gloria took over. He’s still badass though. He’s really turned Galar around since Rose made him fight Eternatus. But recently he’s been acting weird and I couldn’t figure out why, but then I think he may have a connection with you since I found you in his room. Do you know anything about Leon?” 

The creature whined again, beginning to swing its head from side to side as it began to growl. Hop stood up, causing the beast to snarl as it stood up with him. Hop began to feel distressed at seeing the way the beast acted. 

“It’s okay, I’m sorry that I asked that I was just being too curious.” 

The creature continued to shake its head, digging its claws into the ground as it’s whole body shook. Hop crept forward, reaching out a hand to attempt to calm the poor thing. Just as his hand came in contact with its shoulder, it threw him back, slashing at him with its claws. Hop landed roughly to the ground, sitting up and placing a hand on his cheek before looking at his hand. His heart dropped as he saw fresh blood, his cheek stinging from the cut the creature gave him. Hearing whining, he looked back towards the creature, it cowering low to the ground. The look in its eyes were different, expression filled with confusion as it stared at Hop. Once it noticed the injury they widened, guilt clouding its expression as it backed away. 

“Hey wait it’s okay, you didn’t mean it.” 

It was too late the creature turned tail and ran. Hop gave chase. He got so close but what he said seemed to have triggered something in the beast. He made sure it never left his vision, jumping over fallen trees and ducking under branches that threatened to hit him in the face. The creature never slowed down, tail out behind it as it dashed through the trees. Hop could not let it get away; this was his only chance at answers. 

“Hey! Stop!” He shouted as the creature veered off to the right. 

Hop ran to a cliff edge, stopping as he looked down at the ditch below him. A beast of that size could easily jump that. There was no way he could climb down and get up again without a pokémon's help. Giving up, he turned around to head back to the clearing. 

“Maybe I can get some more answers tomorrow. Argh!” 

The ground underneath began to give way, Hop moving down with it. Reaching his hand up to try to grasp at anything, he stiffened as his coat collar was grabbed in a pair of jaws, purple fur taking up his vision. He was thrown on more stable ground, sitting up in time to see the creature fall into the ditch below. 

Before Hop could move, he heard the creature land with a sickening crunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone wanted to know the design of the creature so here you go: https://wayward-bunny.tumblr.com/post/189516244586/this-is-the-design-of-the-creature-in-my-yellow
> 
> I hope you guys stick around for the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

Hop crawled towards the edge of the ditch, looking down to see the creature lying on the ground, its back-right leg twisted in a horrible way and its body trapped under a log that must have fell down with it. Scrambling to his feet, he headed forward to begin to climb down the side. Before he could reach the edge Zacian jumped in front of him, standing in a defensive position to block him from heading down. 

“Zacian I need to get down there. It’s injured I need to help it! Please it saved my life.” Hop begged, tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. 

The legendry's eyes softened but they did not change their position, not wanting Hop near the injured beast. Hop was about to protest but stopped as a muzzle was placed on top of his head. Zamazenta sat down letting Hop turn around and bury his face into the legendary wolf’s fur, tears rolling down his cheeks as everything finally spilled over like a dam. It was a while before any of them made a move, Hop turning at the sound of a whine from the bottom of the ditch. 

“It’s still alive!” He shouted, Zacian pushing him back as he tried to climb down the ditch. 

Zacian gave Zamazenta a look, the large pokémon jumping into the ditch below. Hop watched from behind Zacian as Zamazenta approached the creature, sniffing at their wound before surveying the log. He should be down there helping. It was his fault that it was hurt in the first place. 

“Don’t hurt it Zamazenta!” 

The wolf flicked their tail, walking towards the creature's head before grabbing it by its scruff. The creature yelped in surprise, turning its head to snap at Zamazenta’s paws. Huffing they began to pull, the creature whimpering in pain as it thrashed its legs. Letting go of the scruff they turned to the log, pushing its whole body against it. It moved slightly but Zamazenta’s weight was not enough to move it. 

“Zacian we have to help them; they can’t move it on their own.” Zacian nodded, laying down to let the teen climb onto their back. 

Once Zacian made sure Hop would not fall off, they jumped into the ditch and stopped a few feet away. Climbing off, he reached into his backpack to pull out a blanket whilst Zacian ran over to push the other end of the log with Zamazenta. Hop stopped by the creature, the poor thing whimpering at every movement the log made. Placing his hand on the side of its face, the creature leaned against the touch, yellow eyes closing before whining. 

“It’s going to be okay, they’re here to help.” Hop spoke softly, the creature watching him as he spread the blanket over its shoulders. 

Hop sat next to it, stroking its head and hushing it every time it made a sound of pain. It felt like forever before Zacian and Zamazenta got the log away, the red legendary grabbing the end of the blanket to cover the rest of the beast as Zacian took a look at the injury. From what Hop could see, it was healing fast. It could be using a healing move to repair it, Zacian moving it into its proper placement before turning back to the group. 

Zamazenta settled down behind Hop, letting the teenager lean against them as Zacian moved the creature into the cuddle pile with its scruff. Hop was surprised to see it not snap at the blue wolf, instead choosing to curl into the blanket before falling asleep against his side. Shivering slightly, he reached for his spare blanket, this one smaller with a few worn holes. It would have to do as he did not want to disturb the injured creature lying beside him. 

“It looks like it hasn’t slept in days.” Hop whispered to Zamazenta. 

Zamazenta huffed, wrapping their tail around Hop before falling asleep. Zacian chose to guard, heading to the end of the ditch and sitting down. Hop sighed, turning around and falling asleep himself. 

It was still dark when Hop woke up, pushing himself off of the ground and yawning. Looking down, he chuckled at the way the creature was sleeping. It lay on its back, legs in the air as the blanket covered its chest. Hop risked a quick look at its leg, noticing it looking more like a sprain. He did have to cover some medical training when studying with Sonia, it was part of the job as a professor. Checking his phone, he noticed that he had several missed calls from Sonia along with a text telling him to call her. Going into his contacts, he quickly gave her a ring but it went straight to voice mail. 

“She must be busy, I'll call her later.” he decided, placing his phone in his pocket and heading to where Zacian stood guard. 

The legendary nodded towards him as he sat next to them. 

“Thank goodness Gloria let you stay back this time. Who knows what would have happened if you weren’t here to save our hides.” 

Zacian huffed, shaking their head before pushing Hop over with their paw, a smug look on their face. Hop laughed, standing up to ruffle the wolf’s head. They rough housed for a bit, Zacian winning by sitting on top of Hop. Zacian eventually got up, lifting Hop by the collar of his coat to stand him up. He brushed himself off, looking up as the sky began to brighten. 

“We’ve really been out all night.” Hop chided, nudging Zacian with his elbow. 

They both turned around to head back, stopping in their tracks as Zamazenta stood in front of them, a worried expression on their face. Zacian seemed to understand immediately, both wolves running back to the creature as Hop followed behind them. They stopped in front of the creature, the purple beast whining and whimpering in pain. From what Hop could see, there was no injuries present except the sprain in its leg, but that should not be causing it to whine so much. 

“What’s happening, is it going to be okay?” He demanded, both legendries looking at each other with a wild panic. 

Hop’s phone began to ring just as the creature began to thrash around again. He quickly answered it, shoving it to his ear as he turned away from the sight before him. 

“Hop, where are you?” Sonia’s panicked voice was on the other end. 

“I’m in the Slumbering Weald. I’m with the creature but there’s something wrong with it! It keeps thrashing around and I don’t know how to help it.” Hop could feel the panic rise in his chest. 

“Hop you have to get away from it. It’s not a pokémon.” Sonia practically shouted the warning down the phone. 

“What do you mean it’s not a pokémon?” 

“Do you remember when I told you about the researcher in Kanto that accidently combined with a pokémon?” Hop hummed an answer as Sonia continued. “It’s a similar situation. The creature is actually a human but has somehow got the same DNA of Zacian and Zamazenta. You need to get out of there before it turns back. Let Zacian and Zamazenta deal with this!” 

“No Sonia! Whoever this is, they’re clearly in pain and I’m not going to let them suffer.” Hop shot back as Sonia sighed. 

“Okay but I’m coming to find you! Don’t move from where you are. I'll be there soon.” With that she hung up, Hop pocketing the phone before turning back around to the situation at hand. 

The creature began to shift, bones cracking and its eye’s squeezed in pain. Hop could not watch, choosing to bury his head into Zacian’s shoulder as Zamazenta approached the creature. Blocking his ears, he waited until Zacian moved away. Knowing this meant that it was safe to look, Hop opened his eyes to see a human figure lying under the blanket on the ground. Zamazenta sniffed the human’s face, causing it to growl as a retort as it sat up, yellow eyes dashing around until they connected with Hop’s. 

Hop froze, eyes widening at the face that stared at him. He would recognize that face anywhere. Long scruffy purple hair hung down from its shoulders, blanket covering the human from the shoulders down. The human was leaning on its arms, never taking its eyes off of Hop as its expression changed, becoming more aware of its surroundings. Blinking a few times, they shook their head before looking at Hop once more. A terrified expression on their face. 

“Leon...” Hop breathed out. 

His older brother looked around the area before finally meeting Hop’s eyes one last time. 

“I was going to tell you eventually little bro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go the big twist.   
> Tumblr: wayward-bunny


	10. Chapter 10

“It’s been you this whole time.” 

Leon winced as Hop rounded on him, eyes blazing with anger at his brother’s actions. 

“It’s not like I can control it!” Leon snapped back, Hop balling up his fists as he gritted his teeth. 

“That’s not the point Lee. If you just told me or Sonia, we could have helped you!” 

“Hey! I’m not going to be your new science project! I can deal with this myself.” 

“And take a look at how that turned out!” 

Zamazenta and Zacian quickly intervened as the shouting match got louder, both brothers furious at each other for their own reasons. Hop was upset that his brother hid this from him, making him think the creature was going to go after his brother instead of Leon actually being said creature. Leon was upset that he could not control the situation, afraid to end up like a lab rat since he was a new discovery. The older brother stood up, wrapping the blanket around himself more. He took a step forward, his right leg giving out as he fell into Zacian’s side, the legendary staying there to stabilize him. The anger Hop had felt disappeared at seeing his brother injured, worry replacing it as he ran to Leon, sitting him back down on the ground. 

“My ankle hurts.” Leon whined, Hop shaking his head as he took his phone out. 

“You’ve sprained it from falling into the ditch. I’m going to call Sonia to bring you some clothes and some crutches.” 

Before Leon could protest, Hop walked a few steps away. Pressing the phone to his ear, he waited a few seconds before Sonia picked up. 

“Hey Hop! I’m just about to leave is everything okay?” Sonia’s asked. 

“That’s a bit of a loaded question right now Sonia. But can you bring some of Leon’s clothes, crutches and a first aid kit please?” 

“Leon’s there with you!!? Are any of you hurt!!?” She demanded, practically shouting down the phone. 

“I’m okay, just got a cut on my cheek. Leon’s ankle is sprained pretty bad but there is something else. You’ll see when you get here. Zacian will meet you at the entrance to take you here.” Sonia hummed her agreement, Hop hanging up before instructing Zacian to meet Sonia at the end of the path. 

He walked back over to Leon, sitting next to him as Zamazenta went to find some berries for the group to eat. Leon refused to look Hop in the eye, the teen not knowing if it was shame or frustration. They sat like that for a while, staying silent and not looking at each other. Hop reached up to rub at his eye, accidently hitting the cut on his face. He hissed in pain, pulling back his hand to see fresh blood. He must have opened it again. 

“You’re hurt.” 

Hop turned to look at Leon, the former champion’s eyes wide with a sickened expression. 

“It’s just a scratch. I’ll clean it when Sonia gets here.” 

That was not enough for Leon. He turned quickly, examining the cut as his face lost colour. 

“I did that to you didn’t I?” Hop looked away; Leon’s gaze intense. 

“You didn’t mean to. It was my fault really. I think I triggered a memory and you freaked out, like you were fighting to take control.” 

“I remember running away after seeing you, and then when you nearly fell down here. You really have to watch where you step. I don’t want to see you become a ghost pokémon anytime soon.” Leon’s tone was strict, but his eyes were soft, showing his concern. 

“How did you even end up like this Lee?” Hop did not want to know the answer. 

“I’ll be honest with you, mate. I have no idea.” Hop waited for Lee to continue. “All I know is that I was organizing the evidence of Swordward and Shieldbert’s mess and I may have broken something.” 

“Lee!” 

“Let me finish! Anyway, I ended up cutting myself and since that night I began experiencing weird changes. I would go to sleep and wake up the next morning in the middle of Wyndon stadium or in Turrfield’s fields. I was drawn to Postwick and since then I began to get more control of what was happening. Some bits are still blank but I know that something has happened to me.” 

“Well thank goodness you never got into the science work Leon.” A voice spoke from the top of the ditch. 

Sonia smiled at the pair, a heavy backpack on her back as she skidded down the side of the ditch. Zacian followed closely behind her, flicking their tail in greeting. 

“Sonia this isn’t what you think it is. I’m not becoming your new research task.” 

Sonia rolled her eyes, punching Leon gently in the shoulder. She pulled out a pair of clothes consisting a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. 

“Put these on. I’m not dressing your wound until you’re fully clothed.” Leon grumbled as he grabbed the clothes from Sonia. 

Hop and Sonia turned around, giving Leon privacy as he got changed. After a few minutes he let them know that he was finished, Sonia taking the bandages from the first aid kit before wrapping his sprain. Leon winced a few times until she finished, taking the crutches and steadying himself when he was ready to go. Zamazenta joined then as they trudged through the forest, mouth full of berries as they deposited them into Hop’s backpack. Hop took the Band-Aid that Sonia offered, covering his cut on his cheek. 

The walk was slow, Leon having to lean against a legendary at any uneven ground. They made it to Sonia’s lab around midday, Leon crashing straight into a chair to rest his ankle. Hop began to make some tea while Sonia grabbed her notes. 

“I’m going to ask Gran for Professor Oak’s contact details. He can get me contact with Bill so we can try to understand this and try to fix it.” Sonia explained as Leon pulled a face. 

“I don’t want to be experimented on.” 

“You won’t be. Well maybe one blood sample but that’s it. I won’t strap you down like those old horror movies we used to watch.” 

Hop watched the two banter off of each other, taking the kettle off before pouring the tea. Once the tea was ready, he passed a cup to his brother, Leon breathing in the scent before taking a sip, not caring of the temperature. 

“Maybe we should head to Wyndon to take a look at what you broke? Gloria can meet us there.” Hop suggested. 

Leon nodded, placing his cup down. 

“I locked the door before I left so I know no one would have looked or moved anything.” 

“If you can bring me back a sample, I can test it to see what we are dealing with. I’ll get in contact with Bill while you’re away.” 

With a plan sorted out, Hop stood up to grab his bag. Turning to Leon to help his brother up, he stopped in his tracks at his brother’s expression. Leon’s face was pulled down, a grimace on his face. His phone was in his hand, ringing loudly as the former champion hesitated to answer. 

“It’s Raihan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: wayward-bunny
> 
> I'm debating opening an ask blog for this AU once we kick off the main story.


	11. Chapter 11

“Answer it!” 

Leon quickly pressed the accept button, the blank screen being filled with the Hammerlocke gym leader as soon as he answered. 

“Finally, you picked up! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all morning.” Raihan’s voice was loud, Hop noticing Leon flinching at the volume. “Don’t think you’re getting out of that rematch you owe me.” 

“Sorry Raihan. I completely forgot about it. I’ll have to rain check. I need to head back to Wyndon to cover a bit more work.” 

“Oh, come on man!” Raihan sighed, throwing his head back. “You’ve became so boring since you stepped up as chairman. I’ve missed you.” 

Hop chuckled as Leon blushed, looking anywhere but the screen. 

“I’m in company Raihan!” He choked out, Raihan taking the hint and apologizing. 

Hop sipped his tea, waiting for their conversation to finish. He could see that Sonia was trying not to laugh. 

“I just wished you would visit sometime. Gloria’s just too good at kicking my ass.” Leon snorted at Raihan’s comment. 

“We pass Hammerlocke on the way back from Wyndon.” Hop suggested, looking up at his brother. “We can stop on the way home. Let you have that rematch.” 

Raihan laughed. Leon gave Hop a death stare, the teenager giggling behind his hand. 

“Then it’s settled. I’ll see you soon, ya himbo.” 

With that Raihan hung up, Leon placing the phone down on the table before putting his face in his hands. Hop stood up, heading towards the door. 

“Well we better get ready for heading out to Wyndon, the train leaves soon and I want to get this search over before nightfall.” Hop spoke, Leon following as Sonia helped him up. 

“I’ll meet you in Hammerlocke when you are on your way back. I can take the sample then and head back here.” Sonia suggested, walking behind them until they reached the door. 

Leon smiled, hobbling out into the streets of Wedgehurst as Hop followed behind him. They both said goodbye to Sonia before heading back to their house. Hop watched Leon walk, noticing that his sprain was less noticeable than before. He was positive that he would be walking on it again after they got to their destination. 

“Leon what happened to you!?” Their mother rounded on them as soon as they entered the house, her eyes wide at the sight of her oldest in crutches. 

“I’m okay mum. It’s just a sprain. Hop’s the one with the cut on his cheek.” 

Hop glared at his brother as their mother turned towards him, cupping his cheeks as she took in the wrapped injury. 

“What am I going to do with you two? Running into danger with that beast and getting hurt.” She spoke softly, missing the way Leon winced at the beast part. 

She kissed the top of Hop’s head before releasing him, turning back into the living room. Leon told Hop to head upstairs and pack his stuff while he spoke to their mother. Hop nodded racing up the stairs and sliding into his room. He grabbed his travel bag, shoving his clothes into it along with his medicine for his pokémon. Making sure he had everything he needed he left, jumping down the stairs when Leon was just finishing the conversation with their mother. 

“I’m sorry mum. I would have stayed longer but you know what work is like.” 

Hop stayed in the hall, not daring to interrupt their conversation. 

“I’m glad you are taking Hop with you though. Just make sure this adventure doesn’t turn out like the last one. You already have one scar as a reminder of how close we were to loosing you.” 

Hop breathed in through his nose quickly at the mention of Leon’s scar. The fight with Eternatus was rough, his brother having his back sliced open by the blast was a terrifying thought, let alone a reality that he had to go through. Leon always called it his battle scar, but Hop knew that it served as a horrifying reminder of what Rose had made him go through. He tightened his fist as he tried to calm down, jumping when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Leon looked at him, concern on his expression. 

“You okay little bro? You don’t have to come if you don’t want too.” 

Hop shook his head. 

“I’m okay Lee. Oh, and I am coming. We are in this together this time.” I can’t see you get hurt again, he left out. 

After a heartfelt goodbye with their family, they headed to the train station. Leon insisted on leaving the crutches at home, his ankle much better but he still limped slightly. Jumping on the first train, they sat quietly in the train car, Leon pulling his hood up as he leaned against the window. Hop smiled at him, pulling out his phone to text Gloria to meet them at the station in Wyndon. She texted back a few seconds later, confirming she was going to be there. 

Placing his phone down, he looked up at his brother. Leon was staring out the window, hardly noticing his surroundings. Hop rolled his eyes, reaching into his bag to pull out a notebook. He might as well catch up on some homework during the train ride, seeing as it usually took around 30 minutes to get to Wyndon by train. 

“Next stop, Wyndon.” 

Hop looked up from his notebook as the announcement was called. Time passed quickly when working to become a professor. He shook his brother awake, Leon falling asleep at some point during the journey. Hop could not blame him with how hectic his nights have become. Leon blinked himself awake, pulling his hood down as he looked at his younger sibling. 

“We’re here Lee.” Hop let him know, standing back as Leon stood up. 

The train pulled into the station, both boys jumping out onto the platform before heading into the station’s main area. Hop grinned as he spotted Gloria, waving in her direction to get her attention. She waved back, Cinderace at her side as they waited for them at the bottom of the stairs. Once they reached her, she threw her arms around Hop before looking at Leon. 

“You look like a Dubwool just knocked you off of a cliff.” She snickered at her own comment. 

“Ha ha very funny champion.” Leon remarked, smirking as he headed out of the station, clearly wanting to get going. 

Hop turned towards Gloria, handing back Zacian’s pokeball. 

“Thanks for letting him stay, mate. We really needed them last night.” He thanked her as Gloria smiled. 

“So, did you catch the creature?” She asked as they began to head out into the streets. 

“Not exactly. It turns out Leon is actually the mysterious beast that’s been plaguing the town.” 

Gloria’s eyes widened, opening her mouth to speak as Hop shushed her. She nodded, listening to Hop’s explanation of the events that happened since she left. They followed Leon to the battle tower, quickly jumping into an elevator to head to one of the basements on the lower floors. 

“Once we are in there, be careful what you touch. Half of the stuff is really dangerous and mum will kill me if one of you get hurt.” Leon explained, side glancing at Hop before turning back to the elevator door. 

It dinged open, all three of them leaving the elevator before it headed to a different floor. The hallway was long, the group staying close as Leon led them all the way down. Hop felt nervous with being in the tower. Even though he knew his brother turned it around, memories of being stopped from reaching his brother with the thoughts of Rose hurting him crept back into his mind. He did not know he was shaking until her felt Gloria grab his hand, stabilizing him instantly as they neared the end of the hallway. 

In front of them stood a large door, Leon heading up to it to enter the key he had in his pocket. The door opened with a large creak as Leon turned towards them, his eyes practically glowing as he spread his arms out wide. 

“Welcome to their stash of trash.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: wayward-bunny
> 
> Just a quick note, I tag the au under yellow eyes au on tumblr


	12. Chapter 12

“Stash of trash?” Hop echoed, Gloria snorting behind her hand. 

Leon rolled his eyes, leading the small group further into the room. 

“Naming things isn’t really my thing. Anyway, we had to put their trash somewhere! Just stay close and don’t touch anything that looks too dangerous. I can’t have you two hurt on my watch.” Leon instructed. 

Hop separated from the group a few minutes into their search, choosing not to stray too far from Leon’s sight. He glanced over the shelves, cringing at the heaps of armour and photos of Sordward and Shieldbert that littered the space. He knew those two were trouble when they stole the rusted shield. The teen was glad that they both ended up in jail, though their apology to Gloria seemed a little bit scripted. 

“Hop! Look out!” 

Hop stopped mid step at his brother’s shout, Gloria’s hand on his shoulder steadying him straight away. She pointed at the floor, Hop following the direction to see a broken jar, red liquid spilling out onto the floor. It looked like it had been there for several days, no doubt the floor was stained from the spill. There was also a good amount of blood trailing further up the aisle. He turned to Leon, the former champion coming to stand next to the two teenagers. 

“Lee was this what you were talking about?” 

Leon nodded, grabbing his arm as he stepped back. 

“I accidently knocked it down and a glass shard cut my arm open. I remember passing out and not coming too for about an hour.” 

Hop winced, walking up to his brother before hugging him. 

“It’s not your fault Lee. We’ll get this mess fixed; I promise.” He looked up at Leon, his big brother smiling down at him with tears in his eyes. 

They were always there for each other, no matter how bad the situation was. When Leon ended up in the hospital from the Eternatus incident, Hop did not leave his side until he was discharged. He was afraid that the wound across his shoulder blades would never heal. It did eventually, Leon refusing to wait until it was fully healed to battle in the champion match. Now all that was left was the scar. 

Letting go of his brother, his took out a test tube, carefully scooping up some of the red liquid before sealing the top and placing it in his bag. They decided to look around a bit more, staying clear of the spilled substance on the floor. Hop bent down to look under one of the desks, eyes widening as he found a folder on the floor. He picked it up, calling for the others as he headed towards the door. 

“Sonia is going to have a field day when we hand her this evidence.” 

Leon and Gloria nodded as they entered the elevator as it headed to the ground floor. They left the elevator once it reached their floor, heading out of the building and down towards the centre of Wyndon. Leon suggested calling it a night, Gloria heading back to her hotel room whilst Leon and Hop headed for Leon’s apartment. The walk back was silent, neither of them wanting to speak until they were out of the public eye. 

“Here we are.” Leon broke the silence as they entered an apartment building, climbing up the stairs to the top floor. “Home sweet home. Ah.” 

Hop started to laugh as he entered the apartment, the entire living area in a mess. 

“If only Gran came with us. She would give you an earful before cleaning up your messes.” 

Leon punched him lightly in the arm, heading towards the sofa to sit down. Hop placed his bag down on the table before joining his brother, pulling out his phone to message Sonia that they got what they needed. He placed his phone back down, turning to his brother. 

“Want me to order something out tonight? I can tell you’re too tired to cook.” 

“You’re just saying that because I’m a terrible cook.” Leon smirked, pulling his own phone out before ordering food for the two of them. 

The watched TV while they waited, nearly missing the delivery from getting to engrossed with a tv show they watched. Hop cleared the table whilst Leon dished out the food, turning around to set them down. The dinner was filled with quiet conversation, both brothers’ enjoying each other's company. 

“You know if mum saw how you lived, she would kill you.” Hop spoke up, Leon snorting at his comment. 

“She’ll probably tell you to stay with me to show me how to live properly.” Leon retorted, taking a bite from his food. 

They finished their meal slowly, Hop placing the dishes into the dish washer as Leon headed to the bedrooms. 

“Hop come here a minute!” His brother called, Hop heading towards Leon as he stood in front of a closed door. 

“Is everything okay?” Hop asked, concerned. 

“I’m fine. I just want to show you something.” Leon opened the door, stepping inside as Hop followed, the teen taking in the room before him. "I thought since I’m no longer Champion and I don’t have Rose breathing down my neck, you could come stay with me when you aren’t studying with Sonia.” 

Hop began to tear up, walking over to the bed before sitting down. The room was small, but big enough for him to move in. It included a desk, a laptop set up for when he wanted to study. There were posters on the wall, similar to the ones back home. It was such a shock that he began to cry, Leon freaking out as he thought he did something wrong. 

“I’m okay Lee. It's just a big surprise. It will be nice to stay with you since I didn’t get to see you much when I was growing up.” His statement broke Leon’s heart. 

“Well I know it’s plain at the moment but you can decorate it how you want. Mum already knew about it and she was thrilled that I can spend more time with you.” 

Hop nodded, thinking back to when his brother left for the gym challenge. He was only four when Leon became champion. Leon was only ten himself when he won. From then he hardly had the time to spend with his little brother, Hop knowing that Rose wanted the champion’s time to attend meetings and events. Now that Rose was behind bars, Hop felt like Leon was trying to make up for lost time. 

“It’s getting dark.” Hop said, wiping his eyes. “I should probably head to bed seeing as we’re heading out again tomorrow.” 

“I’ll let you rest then. If you need me at all just come get me. I know how you feel about sleeping in new places.” Leon teased as he left, leaving Hop alone. 

Hop changed into his sleepwear, climbing into his bed and looked up to the ceiling. He thought about how they were going to sort this out. Of course, Sonia would handle the research part, but Hop had seen how violent Leon would get when he changed. He could not handle it if his brother lost more of himself, the beast inside of him taking over. He shivered as he looked out the window. It was dark, only the lights from the streets below lighting up his room. He decided to try and sleep, turning in his bed and closing his eyes. 

It seemed like fate had another plan for him that night. Just as he was about to doze off, a loud clang from outside his room made him jump out of his bed. He dived towards his door, throwing it open before running into the living area. He stopped short, trying not to laugh at the sight in front of him. The creature, no Leon, was hunched over the sink, using one of his front paws to attempt to turn the tap on. He turned to look at Hop when the teen finally made himself known, whining and looking between the sink and Hop. 

“Lee you need a drink?” Hop asked, Leon whining in return. 

Hop approached him, pulling out a salad bowl from the cupboard before filling it up with water. He placed it on the ground, tail swaying as he lapped up the refreshing liquid. Hop smiled, turning around to be met with Charizard. She looked annoyed; her tail held high as she flapped her wings in annoyance. Hop scratched under her chin, causing her to relax a bit. Leon looked up at Hop, ears back at the sight of Charizard. He whimpered a bit before lying down. Charizard huffed, heading over to her pokémon bed in the corner of the room. 

“What did you do to annoy her?” Hop questioned, Leon pointing to the burn marks on the floor with his muzzle. “You tried to chase her flame, didn’t you?” 

Leon barked at this, tail wagging quickly as Hop guessed correctly. The teen just rolled his eyes, heading towards the sofa to pull off the throw. He turned back to his brother, Leon tilting his head as he eyed the throw suspiciously. 

“I don’t know how much of you is there right now, but this is not going to hurt you." He spoke softly as he approached, throwing the blanket over his brother's tall form. “I just need you to sleep tonight since we are busy tomorrow.” 

Leon nodded as he settled down on the floor, flicking his tail as if dismissing Hop from his duties. Hop chuckled, taking a risk by ruffling his brother’s fur. He headed back to his own room, closing the door and climbing back into bed. He finally got to sleep, having the best nights rest for a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: Wayward-Bunny
> 
> Sorry for not updating a lot this week. I've had a lot going on but I'm glad you guys are sticking with me.


	13. Chapter 13

Hop awoke to the smell of burning from outside of his door. He climbed out of bed, walking into the living area to see Leon hunched over a toaster, a plate with burnt slices of toast in his hand. Their eyes met, Leon placing the plate down as he turned to his brother. 

“Do you think you could cook breakfast this morning? I woke up a bit hazy.” Hop nodded in reply as Leon sat down at the table. 

He pulled out the frying pan, placing it on the stove and grabbing two eggs from the fridge. He began to cook, glancing back to watch Leon feed his Charizard the burnt toast. Once the eggs were fried, he placed them on a plate, cutting up some toast he put in the toaster when the eggs where nearly done. He turned back to his brother, placing them down before grabbing a bowl of cereal for himself. Leon took a bite of the eggs, eyes widening as he swallowed. 

“These are amazing little bro! Where did you learn to cook that good?” 

“Natural talent and a fussy Snorlax in your party.” He responded, Leon laughing before going back to his food. 

They finished up a few minutes later, Hop placing the dishes away while Leon pulled on his hoodie. 

“Hop, can you tell me something?” His brother asked, Hop turning to look at him. “What did I do last night? I noticed burn marks on the floor and Charizard didn’t walk to me until I fed her.” 

“You shifted, tried to catch Charizard’s tail and then tried to turn the sink on by yourself. I gave you water eventually before you slept. Are you sure you don’t remember anything from last night?” 

“I hardly remember anything from last night. There’s snippets but it felt like a dream.” 

“Maybe the file I picked up yesterday can tell us something about your predicament.” Hop suggested, running over to his bag and pulling said folder out. 

He sat down next to Leon, placing the folder down on the table before opening it. Hop pulled out the stack of paper inside of the folder, spreading them out evenly over the table. The contents of the folder explained a lot in detail, probably done by one of Sordward’s lacky scientists. Hop glanced them over, leaving the more detailed ones for Sonia to study. He stopped at one page, paying it more attention. The page had a paragraph explaining the Darkest Day. 

“Hey Lee, listen to this.” Hop called for his brother’s attention before continuing, “It says here that there were theories of a beast that was powerful enough to overthrow Zamazenta and Zacian. It states that by absorbing the powers of the Galar crystals it can cause the beast to take over a human vessel. Look there’s even a diagram and everything.” 

Hop turned to Leon, his older brother taking the paper with shaky hands. Hop placed his hand on Leon’s shoulder, steadying him encase he passed out. Leon read it over, Hop noticing his eyes starting to thin out. He grabbed the paper from Leon’s hands as the oldest went to rip it apart. Charizard grabbed her trainer, embracing him in a hug until he calmed down. She looked at Hop and then at the paper quickly, indicating to get the files away. Hop complied, worried for his brother's wellbeing. They sat in silence for a while, Leon calming down enough to turn back. His eyes looked more human than before as he whispered a small apology to Hop. 

“It’s alright Lee. I should have just left this to Sonia.” Hop looked at the ground in shame for causing his brother to break. 

“It’s fine Hop. Now that we know that Sordward and Shieldbert have something to do with this, we can head to Hammerlocke and pay them a little visit.” 

Hop looked up to see Leon grin at him, causing him to smile back. Interrogating them was the next step of discovering a new part of this mystery. A step closer to get his brother back to himself again. 

They packed their bags for the trip ahead, leaving for Hammerlocke half an hour later. They met up with Gloria on their way to the station, Hop questioning how she got the free time to help out. She explains that she has a league meeting in Turffield with Milo, including every other gym leader at their stadium. She asks if they want to join her, which Hop agrees too straight away. Exploring the other Galar historic monuments may give them a clue as to what they are dealing with. 

“You sound like Sonia when we did the Gym Challenge. Always looking for new clues.” She joked, causing Hop to blush. 

They board the train, arriving in Hammerlocke quicker they intended. As they stepped out into the station, Hop’s phone pinged. He pulled it out, opening the text that Sonia had sent him. 

“Sonia said to meet us in the Café. She wants to pick up the evidence there.” 

With that they set out to the Café. Hop noticed Leon was walking quicker than usual, hood pulled over his head. He could not blame his brother. Dealing with the press and fangirls in a situation like the one he was in must be hard. They entered the little Café between the clothing shop and hairdresser, Leon letting out a sigh as it was empty. The man at the counter smiled at them, his Milcery twirling in greeting. 

“She’s in the back waiting for you. I’ll bring over your drinks once you’ve settled down.” Hop nodded, thanking the man before the group headed towards the back of the room. 

They spotted the ginger sitting in a booth. Hop called out to her, Sonia turning around to wave at them. They sat down before the man brought their drinks over. Hop took his and grabbed Leon’s, placing it in front of him. 

“I hope lemonade is okay for you all.” Sonia spoke, reaching out her hand under the table as Hop handed her the test tube and folder. 

“It’s okay Sonia. Hopefully this can help solve our issue.” Hop replied, turning to Leon and nudging him in the arm. 

The oldest thanked Sonia, taking a sip from his glass before putting it down. Hop began to engage in conversation with Gloria, asking how the league was getting on and what the meeting where about. 

“Well news spread from Wedgehurst about Leon’s little stunt. They want to discuss a new defence encase it strikes there. I really don’t want to be involved with it but they want the champion to look over their plans for each town. They actually asked me to ask Leon to join me as he’s chairman now.” 

This caused Leon to perk up. 

“No, I'll just hide at night until this is sorted. Too many people already know about this. I’m not having the gym leaders think I’m a threat.” Leon’s eyes thinned again as he spoke, looking more beast than human. Hop refused to point it out. 

“Lee you have too. We need to head around the region anyway for clues so we might as well humour them. They won’t find out about your other side.” Hop pleaded, causing Leon to sigh. 

“Fine. You know I won’t say no to you Hopscotch. But if one of them find out, you’re the one explaining the situation.” 

Sonia coughed to get their attention once Leon finished speaking. She held the folder up before placing it back on the table. 

“I can get this read through in a night and get back to you tomorrow about what it really means. In the meantime, head to the jail in the castle to talk to those idiots. We need every little bit of information we can.” 

With that they broke up, Gloria and Sonia heading off together to head to Turffield. They agreed to meet there the next day to discuss any new details and discoveries. The two brothers headed towards the vault, knowing that they could access the jail from there. The castle was huge, so luckily Hop was there to make sure Leon did not get lost. 

“Leon! Hop! Looks like you finally made it.” 

A smooth voice greeted them as soon as they entered the vault. In front of them stood Raihan, the dragon type gym leader resting his hands on his hips as he looked them up and down. His face dropped when he saw Leon, walking over to him to place a hand on his shoulder. 

“You look like shit man.” 

“I feel like it too.” Leon snorted as they embraced each other for a few seconds before pulling away. 

“We need to get to the jail cells in the castle. We’ve got some interrogating to do!” Hop explained, a wide smile on his face. 

“Playing detectives, now are we? Well in that case I’m not going to stand in your way. Follow me and stick close Leon, can’t have you getting lost in here.” 

Raihan lead them through several halls, each floor going lower and lower until they reached the bottom. Two guards stood in front of the doors to the cells, a woman sat behind a desk in the reception room. She looked up as Raihan approached, handing over the keys as he led them inside. 

“You have to stay close Hop. Don’t want you getting hurt.” He explained as they continued down the corridor. 

They stopped at the end cell, Raihan turning to look at them. 

“You ready to go in?” 

Leon nodded his response, looking down at Hop and instructing him to stay with Raihan. Hop did not dare protest, not wanting to push his luck. Raihan opened the door as the former champion entered before closing it. He looked back at Hop, opening his mouth to ask something when a shout suddenly distracted them. 

“Leon!” Hop shouted as Raihan threw the door open. 

The cell was empty expect for Leon who stood in the middle of the room with a note in his hand. 

“They’ve escaped.” His voice was gruff, nearly sounding like a snarl when he spoke. 

Raihan ran back down the corridor, calling for the guards at the door. Hop turned to Leon, his older brother handing him the note. It was written in curly handwriting, the message displayed reading: 

‘We’ve escaped you mutt. Have fun and see you soon.’ 

Hop wanted to vomit. They were up to something that involved his brother. He was interrupted as a guard approached them, looking Leon straight in the eyes as he spoke. 

“The former Chairman would like to speak to you Leon. If you can follow me, I will take you to him.” 

Leon froze up, eyes wide as he stared at the guard. Hop insisted to go with him but the guard turned to him. 

“I’m afraid that Mr Rose would like to see Leon alone. You can wait in the reception area.” 

Before Hop could respond, Leon handed him Charizard’s pokeball. 

“If I am not out in the next half an hour, release her and let her get me.” 

Hop nodded as another guard led him towards the reception room. He sat down, clutching the pokeball to his chest as he stared at the floor. 

He hoped Leon would be able to handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr - wayward-bunny
> 
> I've started another au which will be a comic. It's a warrior cats au so if you're interested in that check out my blog.


	14. Chapter 14

“Are you ready to go now Mr Leon?” The guard asked. 

Leon took a deep breath, attempting to stay calm as he nodded. He followed the guard as he led him towards a different cell. To say that Leon was nervous was an understatement, he was more petrified than anything. The last time he had seen Rose was when the man had visited him in the hospital before he handed himself in. He apologised, but Leon knew him well enough to know that he did not mean it, that he would gladly do it all over again if given the chance. 

He remembered when he was young, the former chairman endorsing him for the gym challenge with a strange look in his eye. 

“They would love the story! A small boy from an unknown town becoming one of the most powerful trainers that the region has ever seen. Think of how much you can help your family; how much you can help your little brother.” His cold words still rung in his ears. 

They stopped outside a cell just east from the exit, the guard reassuring him that there were bars in between them. It eased Leon a bit when hearing this. 

“Are you ready to go in?” 

Leon nodded in reply, bracing himself to face the one man he never wanted to see again. The guard opened the door, letting him know that he would be standing outside if anything happened. Leon thanked him before entering, the door closing behind him. The cell was bland, only including a bed in the corner. 

“I’m surprised you actually came to see me. It’s been so long since I last saw you. You look well.” 

Leon's eyes snapped towards the figure in the cell, the previous chairman looking at him with a smirk on his face from where he sat on the bed. Leon stood straight, masking his fear as he locked eye contact with Rose. 

“You said you had information. It would be a lot of help if you could give me it.” 

Rose chuckled, standing up and walking towards him, placing his hands on the bars. 

“And why should I help you? In my time of need my knight did not come to my rescue, leaving two children to deal with the consequences. Then you go and loose the champion match because you were weak without me.” 

Leon flinched, taking a step back. Rose was trying to guilt him again, but instead of it working it just made him more frustrated. 

“I told you to wait Rose! I was injured because of what you did! I could have died!” 

“But you didn’t, did you? Now look at the mess you are in. Just a lost Yamper with no owner.” 

Leon snarled, thrusting his arm through the bars and grabbing Rose off of the ground by his shirt collar. Rose gulped; eyes wide as he attempted to dislodge Leon's grip. 

“What did they say to you?” Leon snarled, throwing the man to the ground. 

Rose landed with a hard thud. He began to laugh, it slowly turning into a pained cough. Leon stared at him; eyes wide as Rose just stood up before brushing himself off. 

“Whatever they’ve done to you, I’ve got to say, it’s an improvement.” 

“You know!? You’re part of it?” Leon’s voice was quiet, taking a step back as his eyes became less human. 

“Of course, I knew. Who do you think gave them the idea to target you?” Rose chuckled darkly before continuing. “Just imagine, Galar’s most loved protector, turning into a dangerous beast that can be controlled to destroy Galar from the inside out! I should have thought of this ages ago, to keep you in check.” 

Leon snarled, feeling his rage toppling over him. He smirked as Rose stepped back, fear written all over his face. Leon lunged, attempting to break the bars to get to Rose. He wanted Rose to pay for what he had done all those years, to show him how much he hurt. He wanted to give Rose a scar of his own. Rose stumbled to the back of the cell; eyes wide as he began to call for help. Leon did not care, the image of seeing Rose beaten and broken clouding his mind. He needed to pay! 

“What's the matter Rose? Afraid of your knight?” He snarled, taking a step back before throwing himself into the bars. 

Rose yelped, moving as back as he could. Leon could not care less, he needed to get through those bars. He threw himself into them again, this time using more of his weight. The bars dented. Perfect. He repeated the process until they snapped off, landing on the floor with a loud clang. Rose froze, an eye trained on Leon as he attempted to plan an escape route. 

“Look Leon, I know we’ve had are differences but – AH!” Rose yelped as Leon’s fist came crashing near his head. 

“Shut up! All you’ve done is hurt people! You used me and now I’m going to make sure you never hurt anyone again.” 

Leon snarled, bring up his fist before striking it down. It landed on Rose’s chest, causing the man to fall to the floor from the impact. Leon stood back, raising his hand to strike again. Rose began to beg, pleading that he will tell him anything is he would just stop. Leon just called him pathetic before striking down his chest again. Rose winced in pain, holding his hand to his chest. He pulled his hand away, flinching at the sight of fresh blood. 

“Leon please don’t do this..” 

Leon did not want to hear his whining any longer, choosing to aim for the throat next. Just as he was about to strike, his hand was caught in mid-air before getting thrown back. He grunted as he collided with the floor, looking up to see his Charizard standing in front of Rose. His own pokémon was protecting that monster. He felt betrayed as he stood back up, a growl emitting from his throat. 

“Get out of the way Charizard, he deserves to die!” Leon snarled, levelling his stare with said pokémon. 

“Leon back down. I’m not going to fight.” 

Leon flinched at the voice, it sounding like screeching in his head. He knew Charizard cried out, but he was hearing something different. He stepped back, gripping his hair as his breathing sped up. Charizard took a step towards him, picking up a mirror shard from the floor before showing Leon his own reflection. Leon froze, his gaze locked onto his reflection. 

“Let me help you.” 

Leon could cry at what was staring back at him. His eyes were glowing a bright yellow, his irises no longer human. His teeth were sharper, huge fangs that could bite hard and leave a disastrous impact. His hair was wilder, reaching down to his thighs instead of his shoulder blades. He had more muscle, his arms covered in fur. And his hands, they were more like claws. No wonder he landed such a sharp blow. This was not him, that was a monster staring back at him. 

“What have I become?” He whimpered. 

Charizard approached him, her wings low and her tail swaying, indicating that Rose stays where he was. She rested her chin on top of Leon's head, letting him wrap his arms around her neck. She made a sound of pain as his claws dug into her skin. Leon apologised, before his knees gave out. She caught him in time, holding him close as he cried out his frustrations. Rose flinched, the noise emitting from Leon sounding more like a howl than a human crying. 

“It’s okay, Hop shall be here soon.” The voice whispered to him, Charizard letting him go as she turned towards the door. 

Leon sobbed as he followed her gaze, resting on his little brother’s terrified face. 

“Leon, what did you do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	15. Chapter 15

“Do you want anything to drink?” 

Hop looked up at the receptionist as he sat still in his chair. The waiting room was quiet, only being disturbed by the clicks of the receptionist's keyboard keys. Hop felt sick, having his brother face that vile man alone. His hands gripped tight onto the pokeball in his hands. He wished he brought his own pokémon, but he left them with Gloria as he did not want Leon to be overwhelmed when he shifted. Charizard was the only pokémon that could help him now. 

“I’m okay, just waiting on my brother.” Hop replied, not taking his eyes off of the floor. 

The receptionist just nodded, turning back to her work as Hop was left to his thoughts. Hop never trusted Rose, always having a bad feeling about the man since he first met him as a kid. He was the reason he never saw his brother that much, making Leon miss most of Hop’s birthdays. He glanced up at the clock, seeing that twenty minutes had already passed. Just ten more minutes, he thought to himself, holding the pokeball tighter. 

He turned to his bag, pulling out a bottle of fresh water before taking a long sip. He felt Charizard move her pokeball in his hands, as if she was feeling as nervous as him. The time ticked by slowly, Hop never taking his eyes off of the clock. Just one more minute, he thought to himself, just one more and you can go after him. 

“Call the rest of the guard, there’s an emergency in cell 242.!” 

Hop’s eyes widened at hearing the radio call from the radio on the reception desk. That was the cell Leon was in. He dived out of his chair, letting Charizard out of her ball. 

“Charizard! We have to help Lee!” 

She nodded in understanding, blasting the door open as the receptionist shouted in protest. 

“You can’t go in there when there’s an emergency. Let the guards handle it.” Her voice was strained as she cowered at the sight of Charizard. 

The pokémon snorted before heading straight through the door, wings spread and a roar of fury echoing down the hall. Hop quickly apologized to the poor receptionist before racing after his brother’s prized pokémon. 

The halls were silent, Hop hoping most guards would have evacuated by now. He had to get there before the guards if his brother was in trouble. Charizard was way ahead of him, probably already at the cell. The halls were singed from her flames, some broken doors and furniture littering the halls. He rounded the corner, stopping short of cell 242. He could hear Charizard crying out, Leon shouting in response. There was also someone whimpering, Hop assuming it was Rose. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the door and entered, stopping short at the sight. 

“Leon, what did you do?” 

His brother’s eyes darted towards him, Charizard’s arms still locked around him. Hop had to take a step back, his brother looking less human and more feral. A groan made him look towards the floor, his eyes landing on Rose. The previous chairman was covered in cuts and bruises, no doubt bleeding out onto the floor. Hop winced, turning back to see Leon’s hands covered in blood. 

“We have to go.” Leon’s voice was strained, his eyes darting back and forth between the cell door and Rose’s injured body. 

“What about Rose? You can’t leave him here.” 

Rose groaned again, turning to face Hop. Leon snarled, Charizard holding him back. 

“There is an exit out of here, it’s what Sordward and Shielbert used it to escape.” Rose spoke up, coughing into his hand. 

“And why are you telling us?” Hop asked, eyebrow raised. 

“Because we are not finished with you yet.” He smirked before coughing again, blood splattering all over the floor. 

Hop jumped back as Leon shouted, Charizard holding him back as he went to lunge for Rose. The former chairman just chuckled. Hop turned around, seeing that the halls where still empty. He nodded towards Charizard, the pokémon picking up Leon as he thrashed in her arms. She was strong enough to hold him in her grip, grumbling when with every attempt to escape he made. They dived into the hallways, turning around to head to the back of the building. It was extremely quiet, Hop finding it weird how there was no guards ready to stop them. They skidded to a halt, the exit in sight. 

“Hop stop! Charizard said something is up ahead.” Leon warned, finally calming down enough to just hang in Charizard's arms. 

“Wait you can understand her?” Leon nodded as an answer, Hop opening his mouth in surprise. 

“I can sense them up ahead, there is about 5 guards with a bunch of Arcanine’s and Boltunds.” Leon’s eyes narrowed, jumping out of Charizard's arms. Hop would admit seeing his brother like this was terrifying, blood dripping from clawed hands. Hop knew Leon would never hurt him on purpose, but the thought of his brother losing control would keep him up at night. 

“Stay here, I’ll go deal with them.” Leon turned to say to him, “I promise I won’t hurt them, They’re innocent in my eyes.” 

With that Leon was gone, Hop only hearing the screams of the guards. A few minutes later Hop watched as the guards ran past them, pokémon following their trainers. He followed Charizard around the corner, sighing in relief at seeing Leon safe from harm. 

“I told you I wasn’t going to do anything drastic, just gave them a little scare.” 

Hop tried not to shy away at the grin his brother gave him, sharp fangs greeting him. Charizard came towards them, blasting the door open with a powerful hit. She tilted her head towards the exit, letting them know it was time to leave. Both boys nodded, running after her until they entered an alleyway. They stopped for a moment, Hop catching his breath as he looked up at the sky. 

“It’s nearly nightfall.” He commented, turning towards Leon. 

His brother looked at him, a reassuring smile on his face. 

“I’ll be shifting soon, but make sure we stay in this alleyway. Looks like we will have to camp out tonight.” 

Hop shook his head. 

“We still have people after us, we have to go to someone we can trust. Raihan offered us an accommodation at his place.” 

“And what do you think will happen when you turn up with a giant beast behind you? The gym leaders are programming a defence system against me! Knowing Raihan, he will take out his Flygon to attack me before you can defend yourself.” Leon’s eyes were wide as he explained his reason. 

Hop knew his brother was right, but Raihan did not seem like the kind of gym leader to attack first and ask questions later. That was more of Kabu’s style. Staying out in the middle of Hammerlocke was a terrible idea, the teenager knowing that Charizard agreed by the look in her eyes. She was just about as motherly as their own mother, ready to scold her trainer or hold his hand in new places. 

“I just think we should try it. Charizard agrees with me.” 

“Betrayed by my own pokémon and my little brother.” Leon joked, stopping short the sun began to set. 

Hop stepped forward, getting stopped by Charizard as she put her tail in front of him to block him. He understood what she meant, turning around to head out of the alleyway. He was happy Charizard stayed with Leon, meaning that if he tried to run once he shifted, she would be there to stop him. 

He sat on a bench, pulling out his phone to send a quick text to Raihan, letting him know that they would be at his apartment soon. The dragon type gym leader texted back a few seconds later, confirming that he still did not mind them taking up his offer. Hop pocketed his phone, leaning back as he waited for Charizard to call for him. It felt like forever until he heard the fire pokémon cry out for him, Hop jumping off of the bench and heading back into the alleyway. He made sure no one followed before blending back in with the darkness. 

As soon as he set foot into the alleyway, he was rammed by the large purple wolf. Leon whined, tail wagging quickly at seeing his brother did not leave him. Hop chuckled, ruffling his brothers fur before wrapping his arms around his brother’s neck. 

“You really scared me today, Lee.” He mumbled into his brother’s fur, Leon resting his muzzle on Hop’s head. “I don’t know what would have happened if you got caught. We have to get this fixed.” 

Hop let go a few minutes later, adjusting his bag before turning to Charizard. 

“We have to get to Raihan’s place without being seen, can you scout out a route?” 

Hop knew that he would not have to ask twice. Charizard nodded before flying up high. She appeared a few minutes later, taking Hop by the hand as they left the alleyway, Leon following behind them. She led them through a quiet street, everyone probably in their houses since it was late. It took a lot of time to get to their destination, having to stop a couple of times to make sure Leon did not get distracted. Hop had to laugh, it seeming that Leon did not lose his terrible sense of direction in this form. 

They stopped outside the apartment building late into the night, Hop yawning as he let go of Charizard's paw. Opening the door, he let the other two in their group in first before following himself. Leon was in front, Charizard behind him to make sure he went the right way. After climbing a couple of flights of stairs, they made it to Raihan’s apartment with no issue. 

The purple haired teen sighed, bracing himself for knocking on the door. He knew Raihan would not try anything, but this was going to be hard to explain. He could not just turn around and go ‘Hey my brother keeps turning into a big fluffy beast each night and it really is like taking care of a lost puppy.’ He needed to be careful with how he explained this. 

He lifted his hand, forming a fist before knocking softly on the hard surface. This caused Leon to push his head under his arm, looking up at him with bright yellow eyes. Hop smiled back, resting his hand on top of his brother's head. Leon seemed content, lying down next to him before closing his eyes. The door opened a few seconds later, the Hammerlocke gym leader towering over them. 

“It’s about time you showed up. I was worried you got caught up in-” Raihan was cut short as his eyes landed on the giant purple wolf sitting on his door step. 

Hop chuckled dryly, putting both of his hands up. 

“I’ll explain everything when we’re inside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	16. Chapter 16

“Hop get back!” 

Hop did not have much time to think as Riahan grabbed him, shoving him in through the door before releasing his Flygon. The pokémon cried out, getting ready for his trainer’s instructions. Hop could see Charizard was ready to charge in front, Leon cowering at the sight of the dragon pokémon towering over him. Hop had to do something quick before his brother got hurt. 

“Raihan don’t hurt him!” He called out, pushing passed the tall gym leader and standing in front of Leon, blocking the Flygon from attacking. 

Raihan looked confused, taking a step back as Hop knelt next to his brother, whispering comfort into his ear before petting his back. His hand stopped near the scar, too afraid to touch it. Hop waited until the Flygon was called back, the dragon pokémon moving behind his trainer. 

“What do you mean not hurt him? It’s been terrorising Wedgehurst and then it’s suddenly on my door step with Leon’s little brother!” 

Hop looked up at him, puppy eyes on full force as he aimed the look at Hammerlocke’s gym leader. 

“He’s with me. He did not mean to hurt those people; it was a big misunderstanding. I will explain everything if you just let us in.” 

Raihan’s look softened, heading in to the living area as Hop followed him, Leon and Charizard at his heels. He sat down on the sofa, relaxing after the terrible events he had to go through earlier that day. Raihan sat next to him, giving him a sympathetic look. 

“You look like shit. Have you been getting enough sleep? Leon would kill you if you weren’t.” 

Hop chuckled, looking away from Raihan’s gaze. He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when a shout from Raihan caused him to look up. Leon had managed to open a jar of berries, sticking his muzzle into the jar as he attempted to reach the berries. Raihan stood over him, trying to grab the berry jar off of him, moving his hands back quickly when Leon growled back in warning. 

Hop stood up, kneeling in front of his brother. Yellow eyes tracked his movements as he slowly placed both hands onto the jar before pulling it off. He scooped out a berry, giving it to his brother before turning back to Raihan. 

“You have to approach him slowly. He’s had a rough day and he does not need any more stress.” 

“So,” Raihan began, following the teenager back to the sofa, “how did you manage to catch this one?” 

“It’s not a pokémon.” 

“What? You have to be kidding. Watch, I’ll catch it for you.” 

Hop tried to protest but the gym leader was not paying attention. He grabbed an ultra ball from his belt, throwing it towards the purple beast in the middle of his kitchen. Leon barely had time to move before the ball hit him square in the nose, it landing on the ground as it did not have any effect. Raihan blanched, taking a step back as Leon snarled at him, aiming to attack. 

Hop shouted, moving to intercept when Flygon rounded on Leon, roaring in a warning before aiming an attack. Before it managed to hit Leon, Charizard grabbed Flygon by his tail in her mouth before biting down hard. Raihan called for Charizard to stop as Flygon squealed in pain. The chaos was making Hop’s head hurt. 

“Charizard let him go! Where the hell is Leon? He’s never alone without his Charizard.” 

Charizard let go, glaring at Flygon as she moved to stand in front of Leon. Hop moved quickly, wrapping his arms around Leon’s neck as he attempted to calm him down. The poor wolf was shaking, his ears back as he whined. Hop had a feeling that the quick change in his behaviour was due to Flygon charging at him, the last pokémon that managed to hurt him still fresh in his mind. He looked up as Charizard neared, nodding towards Raihan who was fussing over Flygon’s tail. Hop knew she wanted him to explain while she took over the calming down aspect. He stood up watching as Charizard settled down next to Leon, wrapping one of her wings around him. He seemed calmer, turning his head until it was hidden under her wing all together. 

Hop approached Raihan, rubbing the back of his neck before sitting down. The gym leader looked towards him, rubbing some ointment into Flygon’s tail as the bite began to heal. His blue eyes pierced into Hop’s soul, making the teen feel guilty. He knew that Flygon was only trying to protect his trainer, but Charizard practically had a mind of her own and would not hesitate to stop threats against her own trainer. 

“The thing is Raihan. That beast in your kitchen is not a pokémon because,” Hop tried not to flinch with the hard stare Raihan was giving him. “It’s Leon.” 

Hop was ready for Raihan to shout, accuse him of lying about his brother’s whereabouts. That never came, Hop looking over at his brother’s rival just to see him sitting in silence, his eyes not leaving the shivering form of Leon in front of him. 

“It really is him, isn’t it?” He turned to look at Hop, his eyes wide. Hop nodded as Raihan continued. “I knew something was up as soon as I saw him in casual clothing. He’s been so distant lately but I did not know how to approach it. You know Leon, always bottling up his feelings and trying to please others that it gets too much for him.” 

Hop looked at his hands whilst Raihan spoke, hearing about this side of his brother that he never thought about before. Growing up it always seemed as if Leon could solve anything, he was unbeatable for so long. With his gym challenge and losing, he thought Leon would be disappointed in him forever. That was not the case, Leon bouncing back and doing everything in his power to cheer Hop up again. He did not realise he was crying until a worried whine came from the open kitchen. 

“I’m okay Lee.” 

Before he could move, a pair of arms wrapped around him, Raihan holding him close as Hop just broke down more. He was tired, he had to witness his brother lose control and lose more of himself. He just wanted a break from all this new responsibility. He jumped a little when he felt something lean against his side, looking round to see Leon looking down at him with worry written all over his features. Hop pulled away from Raihan, wiping his eyes as he exclaimed, he was fine. Raihan gave him a look but refused to push him any further. 

“You know, I thought Leon was more of a Purrloin person.” Raihan broke the silence, Hop snorting as Leon gave the gym leader a look. 

“I don’t think he’s going to appreciate that comment when he turns back.” 

“He’ll kick my ass later for it. Quick question though, is Leon really in there? Like is he with us right now or is it only dog brain?” 

Raihan’s question made Hop pause, glancing at his brother as he tilted his head at Raihan’s question. 

“There are moments when he's in control, like right now, right Lee?” Leon barked in reply. “But we are worried that whatever did this to him is slowly taking over.” 

Raihan nodded, reaching a hand out to ruffle Leon’s ears much to the wolf’s delight. They sat like that for the rest of the night, Hop falling asleep at some point leaning against Leon’s side. Raihan stood up to grab a blanket, draping it over the teen before he turned to Leon. 

“That kid will do anything to keep you safe, even take on multiple legendary pokémon to save your ass.” Leon ruffed in response, flicking his tail so it hit Raihan on the side. 

The gym leader just chuckled, walking towards the kitchen. He had to step over Charizard and Flygon, both of them asleep curled up with each other. They were like siblings, growing close as their trainers grew up through the gym challenge. He stopped at the sink, watching as Leon carefully slipped away from Hop to join him. 

They sat together on the kitchen floor, Raihan ranting about the league meetings and how it was not the same without Leon. Leon listened, inputting with a growl and a low bark, being careful not to wake his little brother. 

“I bet you’re feeling guilty about dragging him into this mess huh? Just don’t bottle up your feelings this time, you’ve got me, Sonia, Gloria and more importantly, Hop. Hell, if he ended up turning into a pokémon you would be frantic on finding him and fixing that mess.” 

Leon flicked his ear, looking away from Raihan. Even in this form Raihan knew what that look meant. He had used it many times before when he wanted to change the subject. Raihan sighed, upset that Leon did not want to open up. He rested his hand in between Leon’s ears, scratching his head lightly. 

“Go to sleep Champ, I’ll wake you if anything happens.” 

He watched as Leon sighed in relief, settling down next to Raihan before falling asleep, his chest rising with every breath. Raihan leaned back against the wall, pulling out his phone before dialling the first number in his contacts. It rang for a while, Raihan expecting it to go to voicemail. He sighed in relief as it picked up. 

“Hey Raihan, what’s wrong? You know how late it is?” 

“Hey Milo. I have some news for you. I think it will help with your Wooloo problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr - wayward-bunny
> 
> I'll be taking a break for a bit but the next chapter will be up on friday!


	17. Chapter 17

Leon woke with a groan, his back killing him from sleeping on the floor all night. Moving his head, he looked around to find the living area and kitchen empty, no sign of Raihan or Hop at all. He stood up, blanket wrapped around his body, nearly falling back onto the floor as he tripped over his own feet. He felt a paw wrap around his arm to stabilize him, Leon looking up to see Charizard holding him upright. 

“Hey girl, I’ve not been too much trouble, have I?” He asked, Charizard snorting in response. 

He headed over to the couch, pulling a spare hoodie and tracksuit bottoms from his backpack before pulling them on. He sat down, pulling his phone out to check the battle tower schedule for the day. He felt sad that he could not work there at the moment, but with the issue he was going through right now he knew that taking a break was the best choice. 

“Lee! You awake?” Leon turned to the front door to see Hop, his younger brother standing in the door way. 

“I’m awake now. Where did you and Raihan go off too?” 

“Raihan had league business, but he said he will meet us at the train station in half an hour to say goodbye before we head to Turffield.” Hop explained, closing the door behind him as he headed towards his older brother. 

Leon nodded, putting his phone away before grabbing his bag. Charizard looked at him, her gaze trained on him encase he fell again. He patted her snout, explaining that he was okay before turning towards the door. 

“Well let's get going, I at least want to get a new tracksuit before we head out. I keep ripping mine when I shift.” 

Hop laughed at his comment, both brothers leaving the apartment with Charizard behind them. Leon had noticed that she had been refusing to return to her pokeball since the incident began, and to be honest, he was glad she did. She was always there for him, even when he was alone. He thought about taking his Haxorus out, Charizard always happy to see the dragon pokémon. His thoughts where interrupted as Hop announced that they had arrived at the clothes store, both boys entering as the cashier’s eyes widened at the sight. 

“Mr Leon, gym challenger Hop.” She exclaimed, Leon noticing Hop flinch at the title she gave him. “How can I help you two today?” 

Leon wanted to cringe at the overly happy customer service voice. He stood back with Charizard as Hop explained that his brother needed a couple of new tracksuits for his travels. The cashier nodded, stating that he should have the best clothes she had in stock. They spent the next ten minutes choosing the most durable tracksuits, Hop making sure that they got some in much larger sizes. Leon was grateful the cashier did not question them on that. They left carrying many bags, Leon feeling much better now than he did earlier. They headed towards the train station, grabbing something to eat on the way before arriving at their destination. 

“You two not going to say goodbye.” Leon turned around to see Raihan running towards them, a big smile on his face. 

“Course not!” Hop pipped up, “Leon would never leave without saying goodbye to his favourite rival.” 

Leon smiled, Raihan wrapping him up in a hug before taking a selfie of the two of them. Leon gently pushed the gym leader off. 

“Raihan! Delete that! I look like shit!” Leon protested, attempting to grab the phone before it zipped away back in Raihan’s pocket. 

Sighing in defeat, Leon turned back to Hop who had come back from grabbing their tickets. The teenager sent a sceptical glance between the two, but luckily did not ask any questions. 

“Our train is going to leave soon, and Gloria texted me saying that Milo wants to meet us at the stadium.” Hop spoke, making sure he had their attention before heading to the ticket gates. 

“Just a heads up, I know I promised your little bro that I was not going to say anything, but I told Milo last night.” 

“You what!” Leon began, making sure his voice was loud enough for just Raihan to hear. “No one was supposed to find out, not even you and you’ve-” 

“Calm down fluff butt. I only told Milo because his Wooloo have been acting really weird lately and I have a feeling they are connected to your predicament.” Raihan explained himself, putting a hand on Leon’s shoulder to calm him down. 

“I suppose you’re right. Thanks for everything Rai.” Leon hugged the man once more before running to catch up with Hop. 

Whilst on the train, Leon explained what Raihan had told him, explaining that something had been going on with Milo’s Wooloo flock. Hop nodded, saying that Gloria had explained a little bit of what was going on. 

“She explained to me that something has been breaking the fence’s at night and has been leading them out towards the Geoglyph. Milo has been trying everything he can to keep them in their field but it’s not been working.” Hop explained, turning his phone to face Leon as he read the text from Gloria. 

“Well it hasn’t been me. We haven’t even been in Turffield.” 

“But it could be linked Lee. We might have another clue on our hands here.” 

Hop had a point. All they knew was that Sordward and Shielbert had planned to use him in an experiment, but the purpose for as why was still unknown. Rose was hardly any help, causing Leon to snap and nearly kill the man. He shivered, imagining the cold blood dripping from his clawed hands. 

“We are now arriving at Turffield. Please mind the gap when alighting from this train.” The train’s speakers declared, Leon sighing in relief as he grabbed his bags. 

They entered the station, Hop shouting before running over to meet Gloria, the champion waiting by the benches with Sonia in tow. Leon walked over slowly, smiling at the way the two teenagers spoke. He took a quick glimpse at Sonia, watching her smile at the teenagers. It hurt to see how well Gloria and Hop still got on, reminding him of the horrible way his friendship ended with Sonia. He had to admit that they were both on good terms now, but they would never rekindle their friendship they had when they were kids. 

“Leon are you okay?” 

Sonia’s voice brought him out of his thoughts, his eyes quickly focusing on the floor as all eyes turned to him. 

“I’m fine.” He choked out, relaxing a bit at feeling Charizard press her wing around him. 

The group nodded, turning to head out of the station. On the way to the stadium Leon stayed back, avoiding as much interaction as possible. He thought he would be able to go the whole walk without talking, but Gloria decided to hang back with him. 

“You’re doing it again.” She whispered, making sure only he could hear her. 

“I’m just going through a rough patch right now Gloria, there’s nothing to worry about.” 

It seemed to reassure her, but Leon knew that she would not leave him until they got to Milo. It calmed him a bit to know that he still had supportive friends, even though some of them would kick his ass if he did not take care of himself properly. 

They entered the stadium, spotting Milo talking with some of the gym staff. He looked exhausted, worry written all over his face. Hop called for the gym leader, Milo turning around with a look of relief on his features. He ran over, taking off his hat before pushing a hand through his hair. 

“Thank goodness you guys are here. My Wooloo have been going crazy for the past couple of nights, something keeps breaking in and taking them up to the Geoglyph. I’ve just had a new Wooloo born yesterday, I can’t let this keep happening.” The gym leader rambled, his eyes catching Leon’s gaze. “It’s not been you has it? I’m not one to judge but your new form couldn’t have broken the fences right?” 

“Sorry Milo, it’s not been Leon. We’ve been nowhere near Turffield for the past couple of days.” Hop explained, Leon grateful he did not have to explain himself. 

“Well okay then. I’ll take you out to the field so we can look for clues.” Milo said, heading out of the stadium whilst the group followed him. 

They stopped at Milo’s house, dropping their bags off before heading out towards the field. Leon began to get a strange feeling the closer they got to the field, he knew something was wrong. They rounded the corner, stopping as Milo’s face fell. In front of them, the fence was smashed to bits, splinters all over the dirt path in front of them. Milo jumped over the fence, beginning to count the Wooloo in the field. Sonia instructed Yamper to try and pick up a scent from the gate, Leon already picking one up. It was familiar but the scent was too stale to identify. 

“My wee lamb. It’s gone!” He looked towards Milo, the grass type trainer picking up Wooloo to double check if it was really gone. 

“Was it a normal Wooloo Milo?” Hop asked, jumping the fence to join him. 

Leon followed, standing close enough to hear Milo speak. 

“It was a black Wooloo. They are extremely rare and she was born last night. She can’t be away from her mother for too long or else she won’t make it.” 

Hop looked at Leon, not giving him any warning before the teenager dragged him to the corner. Gloria watched them leave, nodding towards Hop before turning back to Milo to try and get him to cool down. 

“You have to talk to the Wooloo Lee!” Hop began. 

“I can’t! I think I can only do that when I shift but I don’t know how to shift on command.” Leon protested, watching as Hop’s facial expression shifted into something he could not read. 

“I’ll be right back.” Hop told him, turning away to run back towards Gloria. 

Leon watched him talk with Gloria and Milo, a few minutes later the group walked towards him. Milo had tears in his eyes, making Leon wince. 

“Hop told me that you can talk to pokémon now. Can ya please ask them where the wee lamb went?” Milo asked, pulling his puppy eyes on the former champion. 

Leon could not say no to him. 

“I would love to Milo, but I can’t when I’m not shifted. I can only shift at night and even then, not when I’m in control.” 

The disappointment in Milo’s eyes hurt. 

“You half shifted yesterday.” Hop piped up. 

“Yes, but that was when I was in a dire situation.” 

Hop looked at Gloria, Leon not liking the look in his eyes. Both teenagers releasing Zamazenta and Zacian at the same time. The two legendries flicked the group away with a flick of their tails, Milo, Hop and Gloria heading back to the Wooloo’s which left Leon alone. 

They stared at him; their eyes intense as Leon gulped. He felt completely uneasy around them since Zamazenta bit his wrist. He rubbed at the place the injury was located as he stood his ground. He should feel stupid feeling afraid of the two wolves, but he could not help feeling their teeth sinking into his back at any moment. 

“Please don’t hurt me.” Leon knew it was a silly plea, these two would not hurt him unless he was a threat. 

They looked at each other, nodding in agreement before turning back to him, Zamazenta walking towards him before taking his left wrist in their mouth gently. Leon squeezed his eyes closed, ready to feel the intense pain of teeth digging into his skin. But it never came. 

“Leon listen. We will not hurt you but you will need to half shift to find the poor Wooloo. We will help you.” 

Leon’s eyes snapped open, watching as Zamazenta shook his wrist gently. 

“How can I hear you when I’m not shifted?” He questioned, feeling Zacian place their muzzle on his right shoulder. 

“We can talk with you through our link. The thing inside of you, this infection, has changed you. You are as close to being human as we are to being regular pokémon.” Zacian’s eyes bore into him as they spoke. 

“We need to control your link to let you shift, but you will only be half shifted. We would need Eternatus to fully shift you during daylight.” 

Leon flinched at the mention of Eternatus, the pokémon that had been plaguing his nightmares for a while after the fight. He relaxed as Charizard came into view, her wings fully spread to block out the sight of the group in front of him. 

“This will be over quickly,” Zacian began, taking his other wrist in their mouth, “we will be gently biting your wrists to gain control of your link.” 

“Ready?” 

Leon nodded, wincing as they began to bite down. The shift was quick, Leon feeling himself grow taller and his muscles begin to tighten. His hair grew longer as well as his nails, turning into razor sharp claws. His fangs came in last, his eyes glowing when they finished. The legendries stepped back, Charizard looking at him with bright eyes. 

“Did it work? Do you have full control this time?” Her voice did not hurt like it did before, Leon understanding her clearly. 

“Yeah it worked, I’ve got full control.” His voice sounded rough, but his answer satisfied Charizard enough. 

She stood aside, letting the group see him as he walked towards them. The Wooloo began to back away, not liking the look of the new creature in front of him. Gloria and Sonia glanced at each other, both not knowing what to say. Luckily, Milo spoke for them. 

“Well look at you Leon. You could probably take me in a hay bale lifting competition with that form. Say, you want to help me herd them sometime.” Milo laughed, Leon smiling before gently punching him in the arm. 

“I’ll have to rain check on the lifting competition. Now let's see what we can get from the Wooloo.” 

Leon headed closer to the flock, the Wooloo moving away from him. He heard them chatting amongst themselves. 

“I don’t want to be near him. What happens if he hurts one of us?” 

“Mama, why does this human look weird?" 

“Stay back, he’s not turning us into coats today!” 

Leon groaned; this was going to be harder than it looked. He sat down on the grass, hoping that if he looked friendly enough, one would at least be brave enough to talk with him. It felt like forever before he felt like giving up, standing up with a growl as he turned around. He stopped in his tracks as he looked down, a greying Wooloo staring up at him with big eyes. 

“I know you don’t I, dear?” She spoke, her voice soft as she flicked her ear. 

“Ugh, I don’t know. I never really talk with Wooloos.” Leon answered, sitting down to be eye level with the Wooloo. He didn’t want her to run away from him. 

“Oh, I know! You’re a gym challenger. I haven’t done one of those challenges in the stadium for years. Those pesky Yamper always messed up my wool.” 

Leon just looked on as she began to complain about the puppy pokémon. 

“Yeah I was. I was wondering if you could help us. I -” 

“Hold on there, dearie, I’m not finished. I can remember your challenge clearly now. You and that pesky Charmander of yours. Half the time I swear she had the brains to keep you two in check. And your sense of direction, I’m surprised you managed to get out.” 

Leon groaned, each time he tried to ask a question the old Wooloo just continued to speak. 

“You became champion that year. I remember little Milo being happy that his new friend had beaten that old champion. And then Milo took over the grass stadium from his father.” She shook herself off before rolling over to his side. “Now what were you saying dear?” 

“I was going to ask about what happened to that black Wooloo that went missing. Do you know anything?” Finally, he was getting somewhere. 

“Oh, it was that pesky Lucario again! He’s been terrorizing us for the past week, breaking the fence making the youngin's terrified. I tried to take him on but he was too powerful for little old me, I’ve been missing my horn since.” 

Leon looked at her, noticing she only had one horn. Poor Wooloo, he would like to make that Lucario pay for what it did to her. 

“Thanks for your help, but I must go and find that Wooloo now.” 

He stood up, getting ready to move when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down at the Wooloo, the sheep pokémon's expression soft. 

“You used to have a Riolu in your past, didn’t you dear?” 

Leon froze at her words. 

“What do you mean?” 

It was silent for a while, the Wooloo just staring at him. 

“I’m sorry dearie, do I know you?” The Wooloo began. 

Leon just shook it off, heading back to the group. The Wooloo was old, probably not thinking straight. He went back to the others, Milo looking hopeful at what he would have to say. 

“What did the Wooloo say Lee?” Hop asked, Leon turning away from the Wooloo that was staring at him. 

“She said she knows what happened to the Wooloo.” 

Milo’s eyes lit up at that. 

“Well where did it go?” 

“She said that a Luca-” 

Leon was interrupted by screams emitting from the Geoglyph, the group turning to see several people running down the path in fear. Charizard landed by his side, ready to battle. Hop and Gloria called back the two legendries before bolting to the scene. Leon looked at Sonia and Milo, all nodding at once before following. 

They did not notice the Wooloo watching them as they left, her eyes trained on Leon. 

“That poor boy has no clue what he’s gotten himself into.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	18. Chapter 18

Leon’s senses where on high alert as he headed towards the Geoglyph. He knew the others where following behind him, grateful he was not alone. The path leading towards the historical landmark was empty, Leon guessing the civilians had fled when the danger had arrived. He felt more powerful as he ran, his pace a lot faster than what he was used too. He just hoped the others could keep up. 

He skidded at the entrance to the Geoglyph, quickly taking in his surroundings. The benches where tipped over, the fountains broken and the stand ripped all over the floor. His eyes landed on a black Wooloo, the poor sheep pokémon cowering and calling for its mother. Standing in front of it stood a Lucario, its muzzle scarred and teeth bared. Leon snarled, hearing the rest of the group catch up. Looking to his right, he noticed Hop beside him, his little brother looking up at him with bright eyes. Leon nodded, watching as Hop reached for his Dubwool’s pokeball. Before Hop could grab it, Leon felt the Lucario’s eyes turn to him, a piercing red gaze boring into his soul. 

“I see that the little Wooloo has a rescue team. The old hag must have spoken to you.” Leon snarled as the Lucario spoke to him, “Nice to see that the link of the infection is working.” 

“Lee, what is it saying, you’re snarling.” Hop asked, Leon brushing him off. 

“What do you mean by infection? Do you have something to do with this!?” His eyes flashed as the Lucario just laughed, picking up the Wooloo before throwing it. 

Hop quickly called on his Dubwool, the pokémon diving towards the baby as it landed on Dubwool’s soft wool. The Lucario turned towards Hop, snarling as it dived towards the team. Sonia, Gloria and Milo called out their pokémon, Arcanine, Cinderace and Appletun. He had never breathed so quickly in his life. He could feel Charizard behind him, the massive fire pokémon moving in sync with him as she grabbed Hop away from the incoming attack. The Lucario only had a few seconds to recover, grunting as Leon slammed his body into the unsuspecting Lucario. He yelped as teeth met his skin, the fighting steel type pokémon getting a good grip before throwing him to the ground. 

Leon landed. Hard. He winced in pain, rolling away quickly as the Lucario attempted to hit him with an Aura Sphere. He could barely hear the others shouting with the blood roaring in his ears, all he had where his instincts. The Lucario moved again, pushing Leon down to the ground with a powerful punch, placing a paw on his tail to keep him from moving. Wait, when did he get his tail? It was still daylight. 

“You know ex-champion; my trainer was correct with trusting Chairman Rose’s decision for making you our new experiment.” The Lucario sneered, taking a spare paw and grabbing Leon’s muzzle, turning his head side to side. 

“What are you talking about?” Leon growled; his question muffled by the paw clasped around his muzzle. 

“He would be pleased with the results if he saw you now. Poor little Leon, always on the revicing end.” 

Leon blinked, confusion clouding in his eyes. The Lucario pushed down on his chest again, snarling before grabbing his ears. 

“Please..” Leon begged, his voice quiet form the pressure on his chest. 

“Of course, we still have much more to go. Taking you back now will speed thing u-” 

Leon watched as Arcanine slam herself into the Lucario. He scrambled to his feet, nearly falling back down before Milo grabbed him, ignoring his flinch. 

“Sonia’s got it covered. Let's get you patched up.” 

Leon was about to comment on why he would need patched up, when his eyes landed on his side. Milo was pushing his scarf close to a wound, the blood on the floor next to him answering his question. He flicked his tail, staring down at it as he blinked. 

“Have I shifted?” 

Before anyone could answer his question, he was taken back by Arcanine, the fire pokémon being thrown back in the clearing as the Lucario snarled. He moved to help, Milo holding him back as he called for his Appletun, the dopey dragon type using apple acid towards the Lucario. The Lucario attempted to dodge, yelping as it hit one of his back paws. 

“Arcanine, come back.” Sonia called her pokémon back before turning to Hop and Gloria. “Take this over will ya, me and Milo have to get Leon treated.” 

The two teenagers nodded, Hop sending out his Pincurchin as Cinderace glanced back at Gloria. Then Hop quickly instructed Dubwool to take the Wooloo towards Milo, Appletun standing in front of them once they get there. 

“Pincurchin, use zing zap!” 

“Cinderace, use pyro ball!” 

Leon watched as the Lucario blanked, through hazy eyes. Cinderace kicked the fire ball, it hitting the Lucario square in the chest. Pincurchin moved next, slamming it with the electric type move, causing the Lucario to flinch. Both teenagers cheered, congratulating their pokémon as the dust cleared around the Lucario. 

It was still standing, its red eyes glaring at Leon. 

“One day, your friends won’t be around to save you.” 

The Lucario ran, jumping over the fence and disappearing into route four. 

“Gloria that was amazing. We haven’t battled together since we had to get to Lee in the old tower.” 

“Aye! I haven’t had that much fun in ages.” 

Leon watched the two teenagers rejoice, happy to see them so excited to have fought together again. His eyes snapped to Sonia, her face coming close to his view. He was half slumped onto the floor, leaning into Milo for support, the gym leaders uniform covered in his blood. He winced as Sonia checked his wound, quickly pressing Milo’s scarf back onto the bleeding wound. 

“It’s healing quickly, still no explanation on why you shifted more.” Sonia pointed out. 

Leon put his head to the side, quickly looking down at himself. His shirt was gone, his entire body covered in purple fur. He was closer to fully shifted than he ever has been during the day. He whimpered as Milo moved him. 

“We have to get him back to my house before tourists come back up here. He can’t be seen like this.” 

“He needs to shift back.” Hop spoke up, eyes filled with worry. “He’s too big for even you to carry without hurting him Milo.” 

The farmer nodded, Sonia standing up and heading towards the stones down the path. Her eyes lit up as she turned towards them, beckoning them over. The group called their pokémon back, Charizard helped take some of Leon’s weight for Milo as they headed over. 

“Place him in front of it. I think the stones will have some sort of connection.” Sonia instructed, pointing to the ground in front of the stone. 

Leon groaned in agony, eyes glazed over as he reached a paw over towards the stone, placing it onto the cold surface. He flinched slightly as the stone began to glow, it slowly engulfing him as he felt himself shift back to his human form. The rest of the group gasped in astonishment as the wound healed up, the glow leaving him as Leon lay on the floor, his breathing shallow. 

“It healed him!” Hop gasped, turning to Sonia with bright eyes. “The infection must be connected somehow!” 

“But it does not explain that Lucario and what it wanted with Leon.” Gloria pointed out, picking up the black Wooloo so it did not wonder off. 

“That was strange. I’ll stay up here and study the stones, see if I can find anything. I’ll return once it gets dark.” Sonia let them know, waving goodbye as she headed back into the clearing. 

Milo bent down, picking Leon up in his arms as if he weighed nothing. Leon always admired the grass trainer’s strength, always questioning him why he did not go all out in the finals. Milo replied the same, stating that everyone can be strong in their own way. Exhausted, Leon slumped in Milo’s grip, resting his head against the farmer’s chest. Milo chuckled, heading back slowly towards his home. 

“He’s going to be okay now, right Milo?” Hop asked, keeping pace with him as Gloria placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“He’s fought worse. He’s strong Hop, he’ll be okay.” Her voice sounded more down than usual. 

“That’s true, but he took a pokémon on with his bare hands. It’s like he’s giving in to the beast side more.” 

Leon knew that last bit was for Gloria’s ears only, but his heightened hearing made it easier for him to hear the quietist whisper. He felt terrible dragging his little brother into this, he should have just dealt with it on his own. Now some crazed pokémon wanted his head and higher forces where coming for them. He took in a shuddering breath, freezing up when he felt Milo wipe tears away from his eyes. 

“It’ll be okay Leon. We will let you sleep in the barn tonight so when you shift you can have your privacy. You and I both know that Hop needs a full night's rest.” 

Leon nodded, turning to watch Gloria place the black Wooloo back with its flock. His eyes locked onto the old Wooloo’s, the little sheep pokémon trotting over and bleated at Milo. She was probably trying to speak to him again, but now that he was not shifted, he would not understand her. 

“Hi there Wooloo. Are you trying to say hi again?” Milo spoke to her in a high-pitched tone. 

The Wooloo rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Leon, her eyes bright as she bleated again. 

“I think she wants to stay with Leon. He won’t hurt her when he’s shifted anyway.” Hop piped up, turning to Milo as the farmer considered it. 

“Well I don’t think Leon should be alone right now, and you kids are definintely going to sleep tonight. I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” 

Hop and Gloria cheered, Gloria opening the gate as Hop lead the Wooloo out. Leon shivered at the Wooloo’s gaze, the sheep pokémon refusing to take their eyes off of him. 

They headed towards the barn which was located at the back of Milo’s house, Hop opening the door as Milo headed in, placing Leon down on the soft hay before grabbing a blanket and pillow. Leon nodded at Milo as thanks as they left, snuggling into his pillow and closing his eyes. He had never felt so tired in his life. 

“Move over!” A gruntled bleat awoke him late in the night, the old Wooloo nudging him with her head. 

He opened his eyes, looking down at his wolf form. He flicked his tail over the Wooloo, growling as she bleated at him again. 

“Go sleep somewhere else!” 

“Don’t get snappy with me gym challenger. I’m a tough Wooloo, not even a fighting types will scare me.” 

He placed a paw over his ears, growling in frustration as the Wooloo continued to hit his side. 

“Leave me alone!” He shouted, snapping his teeth in front of her muzzle. 

“Okay! Okay! At least hurry up before the stones start glowing. You have to be here!” 

Leon pricked up his ears, yellow eyes wide. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Just go you big mutt!” 

He yelped as she bit his hind leg, jumping to his legs as she ushered him out of the barn. 

“Meet the professor women! All will be revealed there!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I have not updated in a while. I've had a lot happening that has been taking up most of my time. Please don't worry the fic is not abandoned.
> 
> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	19. Chapter 19

“Where is she?” 

Leon dragged himself over the fence of the Wooloo field, following the path up towards the Geoglyph. His whole body ached, the fight earlier that day taking a massive toll as he ran a paw over his eyes to try and wake himself up a bit more. He wished the Wooloo had just let him sleep, hoping that he could have a night where he was normal. He had to admit though, he was glad he was in full control for a change. 

Walking past the Pokémon Centre, he was glad that no one was awake. He did not want a repeat of Wedgehurst, his brain only screaming at him to run or fight. The night air breeze ruffled his fur as he finally arrived at the Geoglyph clearing, wincing at the sight of destruction around him. He was glad that he did not cause the mess, the Lucario destroying the area before they even arrived on the scene. 

Leon growled, angry that the Lucario managed to escape. If the fight had been at night, he was sure he would have torn it’s throat out. But the pokémon had answers to questions he had running through his head. It knew about his infection, stating that its trainer was using him as a new experiment. What bugged Leon the most was that the Lucario was familiar to him, but when he thought about it nothing important came to mind. 

“Leon is that you?” A voice interrupted his thoughts, Leon looking up to see the ginger professor looking at him. “You should be resting after today. I told you I had this covered.” 

Leon stalked over to her, sitting beside her as he took in what she was doing. The floor contained many notes, the folder Hop had found the other day open and on a certain part of the history section. He lifted a paw, reaching out to touch it when Sonia lightly hit it back. 

“I was just looking.” He protested, flicking his tail in an annoyance. 

“I can’t understand you in this form Leo. Also don’t touch my notes, I don’t know where your paws have been.” 

Leon widened his yellow eyes in surprise at the nickname. He had not been called that by Sonia since before their fall out. He guessed Sonia seemed to notice too, her face turning red as she turned around and gathered up more notes. 

“From what I can understand in these notes,” She began, coughing into her hand before looking down at the folder, “the Geoglyph has an important history. It is connected to the stones and will only show the truth once the hero arrives.” 

Leon tilted his head, a bit wary of wanting to wake up Hop and Gloria from a good night's rest. But Sonia said hero, not heroes. Maybe Zamazenta and Zacian knew, they seemed to be knowing a lot recently after understanding his predicament. 

“Leon, I think the Hero part means you. You must be connected somehow, hence why it’s in this file. Here look,” She pointed to another section, the writing different from the previous, “I can’t decipher this writing at all, it looks to be a language I have not come across yet in my studies.” 

Looking closer, Leon began to read the passage out to himself, surprised to find that he understood it. He began to bark, looking at Sonia and then back to the page. 

“You understand it? What does it say?” Leon glared at her, “Oh yeah, I can’t understand you. Well try again, you’re smart enough to figure it out.” 

Rolling his eyes, Leon began to read out loud: 

“By singing the song of the stones, the true image will be revealed. I had wanted the truth to be hidden, no one can know about this infection as it is a curse on the soul.” 

Howl? Leon was a wolf, he could howl! His tail wagged quickly, standing up before turning to the Geoglyph, Sonia following him as he walked closer. He looked at her, eyes bright as they locked eye contact. He was sorry for what they went through, hoping his new discovery will cheer her up. He could tell she was uncomfortable being alone with him again, the last time causing such heartbreak and sadness. Leon did not want that to happen again. 

“I’m guessing you’ve figure it out, huh? You were always quick with these things, even though your sense of direction is pants.” Her blue eyes showed open curiosity, waiting to see what he had learned. 

Leon snorted, throwing his head back as he began to howl, the sound soft and carrying over the breeze. He continued as Sonia gasped, turning around to see the stones begin to glow, the quiet town lighting up in a soft glowing light. 

“Leon, the Geoglyph! It’s changing!” 

They watched as the image changed, lighting up as well as the stones. Once the glowing had disappeared, Leon stopped his howl. His eyes widened at what was displayed on the grassy hillside. Instead of the giant beast, stood a creature that resembled Leon’s shape, a sword in its mouth and a shield on its back. He could make out the distinct shaped of Zacian and Zamazenta next to it, sitting down with their head thrown back. A flash of a camera snapped him out of his daze, looking to his side to see Sonia putting her phone back into her pocket. 

“It’s like the statue in the Budew Drop Inn, the one Hero. Except this isn’t a human, it’s like you.” 

They turned back, Sonia gathering up her notes as they headed back towards the house. Leon could not stop thinking about the Geoglyph, his heart giving a tug at seeing the image before him. Sonia yawned, exclaiming that they had arrived back before bidding him a farewell. Leon watched her go, turning back to leap over the Wooloo fence again. 

It took him a while, but he eventually arrived back at the barn. The old Wooloo was still asleep, under his blanket as she snored quietly. Leon smiled, she was creepy sometimes, but she was still a cute little sheep pokémon. He settled down a few lengths away, his tail covering his nose. 

“I have to say gym challenger, you are very talented with your howling.” 

Leon’s eyes snapped open, landing on the Wooloo who had sat down in front of him. Here he thought he would actually get some more sleep. 

“Uh, thanks. Can I go back to sleep now? Ow!” He yelped as the Wooloo flicked his nose with an ear. 

“Now listen here! We must head to the lighthouse in Hullbury, I have old friends to visit there and you must come too. Your destiny is greater than even the protectors of Galar ya hear!” 

“What do you mean my destiny!? Me becoming a beast at night without knowing control half the time is my destiny?” He snarled, standing up as he flexed his claws. 

The Wooloo did not seem phased, just turning her back as she continued to ramble on. 

“You and your anger. All pent up from father issues and being forced to wear a smile in the spotlight for the rest of your life. And then you come and shout at an old lamb. How rude.” 

Leon made a move to leap in front of the Wooloo, ready to give her a piece of his mind, when he yelped. A stabbing pain hit him in the side, causing him to fall onto the floor as he began to feel his bones shift back into place. It felt like forever before he was back in his human form, lying on the soft hay panting. Each transformation was painful, grateful that no one else had experienced him have a shift before. 

“I can’t keep doing this.” He cried out, curling up as he felt the blanket, he used from last night be dragged over him. “I can’t keep losing myself. My destiny was supposed to be me, unbeatable champion, not afraid of anything.” 

He choked out a sob as his hand grasped soft wool, the old Wooloo settling down next to him as he cried. She felt terrible for the lamb, seeing him cry into her wool and mutter about how he messed everything up. She would comfort him, but she understood he would not understand her in this form. 

“I can’t do this anymore. I want my old life back. I want this scar on my back gone. I just want everything to stop hurting.” He cried out, curling around himself tighter before settling down. 

“I’m sorry little one,” She began when his breathing had evened out, indicating he was asleep. “We all have our paths and unfortunately, this is yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whats this? An update?   
> Sorry about not updating for a while, I've been busy with stuff. I yall want to talk with me about this au there is my tumblr or my discord server which I don't mind handing out an invite for on my tumblr. Thanks for sticking with the fic!
> 
> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a Su*cide mention in this chapter.

“Come on Gloria, we have to find her!” 

Hop turned back towards his rival, waiting for her to catch up as they headed towards the Hulbury gym. The train ride to the seaside town was eventful to say the least. Even though Gloria was explaining a wonderful tale of a match she had won a few weeks ago, All Hop could focus on was Leon and Sonia, the two adults conversing in a hushed voice whilst Leon occasionally petted the old Wooloo every time it bleat for attention. 

It was hard for Hop to not focus on the state that his older brother was in, especially since he has never seen Leon look so tired in his life. The older man's eyes looked sunken in from the dark bags underneath, his hair a mess, covered in twigs and leaves and even his skin seemed paler than it should be. If Hop had no idea what was really going on, he would assume that his older brother was sick, but he knew deep down it was the sleepless nights and the weight of the situation that was keeping his brother from improving his looks. 

After being informed of the strange glowing stone prophecy that morning before they said goodbye to Milo, the grass type gym leader thanking them for saving the small Wooloo the other day. He was a bit confused onto why the older Wooloo would not leave Leon’s side, but agreed to let her go with them anyway. 

Once they arrived at Hulbury, Sonia had informed the two teenagers to look for Nessa as they needed to enter the lighthouse. Knowing Sonia would not explain anything until they found the water type leader, they agreed before making a plan to meet at the lighthouse entrance once they found her. 

“What do you think we are going to find in the lighthouse? I hope it's some murder mystery that we will have to solve!” Gloria announced, both of them slowing down as they approached the main entrance of the gym. 

“What is up with you and murder mysteries? Just last week you were telling me about how a family found their long-lost Dad who were working against them for their enemy. Now you want more of these!” 

Gloria snickered, lightly punching her friend in the arm as they headed inside. 

The gym was relatively empty now that the championships where over, a few members of staff lingering about the main hall. Seeing no sign of Nessa, the group decided to head over to one of the staff members, Gloria coughing to gain their attention. 

“Oh, Champion Gloria! We did not expect a visit from you today. And Trainer Hop! What a surprise!” 

Hop smiled, trying not to show a pained expression at the title. 

“We are looking for Nessa. It’s important league business.” 

“I’m sorry but none of us have seen her since the briefing this morning. She said something about water pokémon to help defend the town encase that unknown beast comes along. We heard there was an attack in Turffield yesterday, she didn’t want to be too unprepared.” The staff member explained. 

“Okay thank you, we will go looking for her. Can never be too unsafe when that beast is on the loose huh?” Gloria remarked before grabbing Hop’s arm, dragging the assistant outside of the gym. “We have to find Nessa quick and explain the situation to her.” 

“We can’t Gloria, I promised Lee I wouldn’t tell anyone else.” Hop whispered back. 

The Scottish girl stopped in here place, turning towards Hop with a panicked expression. 

“Nessa wants to train water pokémon to fight against Leon when he’s shifted. He won’t survive that, not even Charizard would be able to take on the amount she will train on her own. We have to tell her there is nothing to worry about!” 

Gloria had a point; Leon would not be able to keep calm if he was attacked again. 

“Okay but we have to talk to Lee first.” 

After looking around the town for Nessa, both of them felt like giving up and head to the lighthouse. Just as they about to climb up the hill, the stopped in their tracks as Nessa walked out of the seafood shop, Leon and Sonia in tow. Gloria shouted to gain their attention, both teens running up the hill to join them once the others had stopped. 

“Nessa, we need to talk about your defence plan!” Gloria started, stopping short when Nessa raised her hand. 

“Sonia has already explained Leon’s predicament. I’ve called off the defence preparations as there is no issue to worry about.” 

“Oh, alright. But why didn’t you guys contact us when you found Nessa, we have been looking everywhere.” Hop shouted, garnering a look from the several people in the market place next to them. 

“Sorry guys,” Sonia apologized, a sad look on her face, “Nessa and I just got too caught up in our catch up that we forgot to contact you.” 

“Yes, I heard you needed access to the lighthouse for Leon’s sake.” 

Hop pretended not to see Leon wince at the gym leaders' comment, Nessa calling for everyone to follow as they headed towards the lighthouse. To say he was feeling nervous was an understatement, he had no idea what they would find inside the lighthouse. All he knew was that whatever was inside that building was connected to his brother’s misfortune. 

As they were walking, Hop failed to notice the Wooloo that had tagged along on their adventure had started walking at his side, flicking her ears whilst watching how he moved. The purple haired teen flicked his eyes down towards her, smiling softly as she bleated happily after getting his attention. 

“We better hurry up if we don’t want to be left behind.” The Wooloo bleated in agreement as they carried on their walk. 

The lighthouse stood tall as they approached, Sonia and Nessa in front as Leon took up the rear of the group. Hop shivered as he eyed the tall building, focusing his sight on the Toxtricity statues that stood proudly next to the lighthouse. Not much was known about the Toxtricity that the statue was based on, only that they protected this town for many years until their time came. He remembered reading in one of his assignments for Sonia about them, how they just showed up one day after the town had been attacked on several occasions. 

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” Leon’s voice made Hop jump as his older brother came to stand next to him. 

“Should we just leave it then?” Hop suggested, Leon shaking his head in response. 

“We need to find out more about this issue of mine before the sun goes down. I trust Nessa to keep us safe.” 

After Leon finished speaking, they were called over to the entrance as Nessa unlocked the door, advising them to watch their step as they starting to climb to the top. The lighthouse was kept clean, Hop realising that Nessa must be taking very good care of it in her care. The stairs seemed to be worn down from countless steps as they got further and further towards the top. After what felt like forever, they reached their destination, Hop’s face falling as he joined Gloria by one of the windows. 

“It’s so high up! I wouldn’t want to stay up here forever.” She whispered to Hop, both teens turning back around as Sonia called for them. 

“We need to look around for anything that looks close to the images Hop found in the file. Anything old or dating back a few hundred years, let me know so I can analyse it.” 

The group spread out after Sonia gave out her instructions. Hop watched as everyone moved to different locations, he himself heading to the back where the furniture was caked in dust. If he was looking for something old, here would be the best place to start. He began to search through bookshelves first, pulling out books but couldn’t find anything that stood out to him. 

“Maybe I should go see if Gloria has found anythi – UGH!” Hop yelped as he fell onto the floor. 

He turned around, cursing to himself as his foot throbbed for a few seconds. His eyes noticed a floor board had been moved, reaching towards it to pick the piece of wood up. Coughing from the dust, he reached in and pulled out a torn old journal from the space. Quickly flicking through it, his eyes widened as he noticed some of the content. 

“Sonia! I found something!” Hop ran towards the rest of the group, handing the journal over to Sonia as the rest of the group surrounded her. 

“It’s a journal from the hero! Listen to this:” 

‘I retreated to the quiet sea side town of Hulbury, residing in the old lighthouse to stay the night. It’s been several centuries since the darkest day and trying to blend in with the changing times is hard. I have taken in two young Toxels that I found on my journey. They don’t seem afraid of my other form when I change, more interested in my tail. I hope my new life here will be great while I work on a cure.’ 

“Did that say cure?” 

“Did that say Toxels?” 

“Shush, I’ve found another entry!” 

‘It keeps getting worse, I don’t know who I am anymore. The town is terrified of my other form as I rampage each night. My Toxtricity are trying to help me but I ended up harming one of them last night. I’ve decided to train them more, hoping to let them defend this town and keep me in check. If only the Kings could see me now, they would be disappointed that their most loyal guard has betrayed their region so.’ 

“So, the Toxtricity were pokémon of the old hero? This is an interesting development.” Nessa pointed out. 

“Does it say anything else about them? Maybe we can find their ancestors and see if they know anything?” 

Sonia’s eyebrows raised as she came across another entry. 

“We don’t need to look for their ancestors, we need to look for them.” She turned the journal around to face the rest of the group, her eyes sparkling. “He gave them some of his blood, they should be around today.” 

“But finding two Toxtricity is going to be hard if we have to search all of the region.” Gloria pointed out. 

“But we don’t have to look.” Leon spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention to his spot at the window. 

“What do you mean?” Hop questioned, heading towards his brother. 

Leon looked at him, yellow eyes flashing from his hooded face as he pointed a clawed finger towards the group of pokémon in the square. Following his gaze, he noticed the band that performed at the championships entertaining a few members of the public. The group consisted of a Rillabloom, Obstagoon and two Toxtrcity. 

“How are you sure that’s the right ones?” Sonia asked, pulling a notebook from her bag to take notes. 

“I sense a connection with them, like we share something.” Leon’s voice was gruff as he spoke, turning around to the group before pulling his hood down. 

Hop tried not to gasp at seeing his half-shifted form, it looking worse than the previous time with the Lucario battle. He glanced over at Nessa, seeing her with wide eyes as she took in the fangs and claws that Leon had obtained. All of them seemed put off but the little Wooloo, the sheep pokémon bleating happily and running towards the man as she skipped at his feet. 

“Also, the fact that I’ve managed to shift some more. I’ll admit, the ears are new.” He pointed out, pulling a strand of hair back to show sharper ears. 

“This is perfect. We can talk to them now and hear their story. Maybe they can give us a clue on how the previous hero cured himself.” Sonia spoke up, grabbing Leon and dragging him down the steps as the group followed. 

Hop watched as Leon pulled his hood back up, pulling himself from Sonia’s grip gently as they headed towards the band. Nessa informed them that she would catch up, wanting to lock up the lighthouse first. 

As if people could sense that Leon was shifted, they began to clear the area the closer they got to the band. Said band noticed them heading towards them, the Rillaboom and Obstagoon running away first. Before either of the Toxtricity could make a move, Leon grabbed them both by their back spikes and pulling them towards him. 

“Now you two are going to answer my questions or this Wooloo here is going to tear you apart.” Leon threatened, Hop watching with an amused expression. 

The two Toxtricity looked down at the Wooloo, the old sheep bleated in anger before the Toxtricity began to talk. Of course, they had to wait until Leon was finished before they could know what they had said, but watching the two electric pokémon squirm from Leon’s gaze alone was pretty entertaining. After what felt like forever, Leon thanked them before turning back to the group. 

“Well, what did they say Lee?” 

“They told me that they’re old trainer died over a century ago. He never found a cure and lost himself to the beast before jumping off of the lighthouse from insanity. They promised to still protect the town but with nothing to protect it from they joined the band. They said they wish me luck and hope I don’t end up like their previous trainer.” Leon deflated as he explained, Hop getting worried with the information they had received. 

“Did they say anything about how he actually got the infection?” Sonia asked. 

“They didn’t know. They said he was several centuries' old by the time he found them and he never brought up his past once.” 

“Well obviously we have to go to Motostoke to check out that statue in the hotel!” Gloria suggested, the group nodding in agreement. 

“That may be the best idea. Kabu was planning on putting his defences in place tonight, stopping him would be the best decision. I will call a cab for you.” Nessa informed before jogging off towards the gym. 

The group waited for Leon to shift back to his human form before they headed over to the gym themselves. Hop knew that whatever was at the hotel would take them one step closer to the truth. He just hoped they got there in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry this fic is not abandoned, I've just been busy with other things. I am going to finish this fic but can't promise updates every week.
> 
> If you want to talk about the fic hmu on twitter at dead_dogwalking 
> 
> I also have a nintendo discord server if you would like to join: https://discord.gg/Sqpu3k9


	21. Chapter 21

Leon sighed as the steel type pokémon landed next to the pokecenter in Motostoke. The busy town was filled with noise and various smells as Leon realized that an event must have been taking place. Pulling his hood up to cover his face, he made his way to the middle of the group, wanting to stay close to his peers in fear of being lost. A bleat distracted him for a moment, looking down to look at the old Wooloo who had joined their journey a few days ago. Though this sheep pokémon was extremely mysterious in what she would blurt out, he had grown fond of the woolly creature. 

“Kabu told me to meet him at the Budew Drop Inn.” Gloria’s voice interrupted his thoughts as he focused on the conversation. 

“He’s from the Hoenn region, right? Do you think he will know if anything similar to Lee’s problem would have happened there?” Hop pipped in; his interest surely peaked. 

“We can find out what Kabu wants when we get there. Now let’s hurry up before this crowd gets any bigger.” 

Sonia began to guide them through the crowd, the group occasionally being stopped as fans of Gloria wanted a picture taken with the champion. It felt like forever until they reached the hotel, Leon feeling hot as they got closer to the door. 

“Hop! Gloria! You two go forward and greet Kabu. I’m going to get Leon some water really quick.” 

Leon’s eyes locked with Sonia’s as the two teenagers ran ahead, the red head grabbing his arm and pulling him into a back alleyway before fishing a water bottle from her bag. The clop of tiny hooves alerted them that the Wooloo had followed them. 

“I don’t think you’re ready to see Kabu...” Sonia started, Leon noticing her twirling a strand of her hair, a move she only did when she was nervous. 

“Why? I’ve worked with Kabu before. I’m not going to go all feral on him.” 

Sonia glared at him, her blue eyes slicing as his mental wall. 

“You know for a fact that is not what I am referring too. Remember the first time you fought him, you won but you ended up breaking down because he reminded you of your...” 

“Don’t say it!” Leon interrupted, his eyes flashing as he bared his teeth. 

Sonia took a step back, brushing her coat off. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I know we aren’t as close as we used to be but you’re not in a good emotional state right now and I don’t want you breaking down again.” 

Leon deflated, apologizing to Sonia as he took a sip of the water bottle. They stayed in the alley way for a little while, Sonia refusing to let him leave until she was sure he would not go berserk. After promising for the tenth time she finally gave in, both of them heading towards the hotel. 

It was silent as they entered the hallway, the statue standing high and proud. Sonia walked towards the statue, Leon deciding to hang back as he watched the professor study it once again. He could not look at the statue, a feeling of uneasiness welling up inside him. He kept his eyes on the floor, only looking up when Sonia called his name. 

“Leon are you alright? You kind of spaced out there.” She spoke softly, waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. 

“I’m fine, just that the statue is giving off some bad vibes.” He commented, grabbing her hand lightly to stop it from blocking his vision. 

Sonia nodded, both of them turning to look at the statue, the red and blue gem glowing faintly. Leon focused on them, feeling drawn towards them. He gently pushed past Sonia, ignoring her calls as he reached his hands out. His finger nails grew sharp as fur began to spread across his hands, but the ex-champion ignored it, putting all of his attention towards the faint glow of them gems. He could have sworn they were glowing brighter the closer he got to them, gulping as his hands finally rested on top of each one. 

It was too late for him to hear Sonia’s warning call. 

As soon as his hands connected with each gem, they changed to a bright purple, pulsing out a sound that made him wince in pain. Letting go, he ripped his hood off of his head, grabbing his ears. His hands had not changed back yet, sharp claws digging into his skin, the wet feeling of blood rolling down his face. He fell to the ground, barely registering the panicked voices around him. 

The last thing he felt were cold hands grabbing onto his shoulders before everything went black. 

He came around to the sound of chanting, causing him to feel nostalgic. He slowly opened his eyes, surprised to find himself in the locker room of the Motostoke gym. 

‘Huh, how did I get here?’ He thought to himself, standing up as he looked around the area. 

He paused as he caught himself in the mirror, staring at a young face he had not seen since his gym challenge days. Was he dreaming? 

“Leo!” 

His head snapped around at the childhood nickname, eyes widening as he saw Sonia heading towards him, her newly caught Growlithe at her feet. She looked younger too, her hair up in a bun as she wrapped her arms around Leon in excitement. 

“I did it! Did you see me?” Leon nodded to answer her question. “Kabu was a hard leader to beat but with Growlithe helping out it was as easy as pie!” 

“I’m proud of you Sonny! I can’t wait for me and Charmander to show him what we got!” Leon spoke, realizing that he repeated the exact same thing he had said to her all those years ago. 

Was he reliving a memory? 

“Well you better hurry up; I want to challenge the ghost type leader soon! I’m not leaving without you though!” She spoke up, flashing a smile that Leon silently admitted he missed. 

“Don’t worry Sonny,” Leon felt sorrow at the nickname that left his mouth, “I’ve been unbeatable the past two matches, I’ll be even with you in no time.” 

“Well just don’t get lost in there then. Good luck!” Sonia patted him on the shoulder before running off, Leon watching her go. 

Leon knew exactly what memory was replaying, but why it had to start replaying in his mind now was a mystery to him. It had to be some sort of coincidence. Still he was forced to watch the events replay as a staff member approached him, letting him know they were ready for him. He went through the trail easily, Leon catching several pokémon that he knew he would use for a while until his team was built out more. 

“You’re a natural kid.” The staff member informed him as he climbed the stairs. 

Leon grinned at the man, thanking him before heading out towards the corridor that lead to the pitch. He felt that the darkness was swallowing him as he headed towards the lit-up entrance, gulping as he let his Charmander out of her ball. She chirped up at him, taking the hyper potion generously before he returned her. 

“It’s nice to see you are taking care of her well. Professor Magnolia mentioned that I had to keep an eye out for the trainer with the Kanto starter.” 

Leon knew exactly what was coming. He watched as he turned towards the voice, a young Kabu entering his vision with a slight smile on his face. 

“Yes sir.” Leon mentally cringed, screaming at himself to shut up, “She’s going to be the best Charizard in the region!” 

Kabu raised an eyebrow. 

“Why so formal? Most of the other trainers would call me by my name, some even going as far as old timer. I thought someone with your enthusiasm would have a fiercer name towards your challenger?” 

“My Father taught me to be polite, he wouldn’t approve of me being rude to you. Is it true you are from Hoenn? My Father studied there once.” 

Why could he not just shut up? 

“It is true yes. Your Father sounds like a remarkable man. Is he here watching your match today?” 

Leon knew he meant nothing but genuine interest when asking that question, but the fire type user’s tone seemed so mocking to his ears. 

“My Father is um...” Don’t say it! “He’s no longer with us sir. He walked out on us just before my baby brother was born.” 

Kabu’s face fell, Leon knowing that the older man knew he made a mistake. He watched the gym leader kneel down to his level, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. The look of sympathy made Leon want to squirm, reminding him of the looks his mother would give to him on the nights she would want to be alone. 

“Then how about you show me what he’s missing by taking me on in the battlefield?” 

The burst of excitement shook him to his core, the mention of battle making him feel better. Kabu stood back up, grabbing the towel from his shoulders before placing it on the bench beside them. The cheering crowd made his heart beat faster, Leon scrambling to hold onto the feeling as much as possible before it disappeared again. 

The battle went on, the fight hard as Kabu did not hold back. As soon as the Centiskortch dropped, the crowd exploded into applause as Leon stood proud. Charmander even evolved into Charmeleon, Leon feeling proud again as his eyes shown. 

“You did good son.” Kabu smiled, shaking his hand before handing over the badge. 

Leon turned around, ready to take in the cheers of the crowd. He stopped short as he noticed the scenery had changed. He was back in the Slumbering Weald, the thick fog grabbing onto his legs. He was back in his adult body, having full control over his movements once again. 

“Run!” 

He turned over at the voice, freezing as he saw a deranged beast. The grey matted fur was out of place, patched of skin over the poor thing's legs and back. Its eyes were huge, panicked as it stared through his soul. 

“Why? Who are you?” 

“You need to run. They did it to me they will do it to you too! You can’t forget!” 

Forget what? He thought to himself. 

Before he could ask another question, the creature fled. Leon attempted to follow but found he was frozen in place. He turned around, stiffening up at spotting a dark figure slowly heading towards him. He tried to run, to scream, to escape but he could not. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, getting ready for impact but nothing came. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling hot breath on his face. A large black wolf, similar to his other form, loomed over him. Red eyes shone brightly as it took him in. It was moving its mouth, as if it was trying to speak. 

“What are you?” he asked, reaching his hand out only to snap it back to his side as the creature snapped at him. 

The red eyes shone brighter, completely engulfing him in an eerie red light. 

“Wake Up!” It screeched, sounding close to the sound that emerged from the gems in the statue. 

“WAKE UP!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while. I hope yall have been keeping safe!
> 
> Tumblr - wayward-bunny


	22. Chapter 22

“Kabu!” 

Gloria’s voice rang throughout the Budew Drop Inn, Hop following at a brisk pace to keep up with his rival. The hotel lobby was quiet, only a few people standing around the reception. Hop looked around, spotting the fire type gym leader standing near the elevator, a bell hopper standing beside him. As they approached, they could hear the end of the conversation between the two. 

“Once Leon and Sonia arrive, take them up to the top room. The room has been booked for the next few days, anything they want make sure it comes from my pay check.” 

The two teens stopped at the start of the stairs as Kabu then turned to them, a rare smile gracing his features as he saw them. Sending the Bell Hopper off, he walked towards them, towel wrapped around his shoulders. 

“Hey Kabu!” Gloria spoke, her eyes bright as the fire gym leader chuckled at her enthusiasm. 

Hop waved towards him, wanting to let Gloria calm down first before bringing up their predicament. 

“Hello Champion. Hello Professor Assistant Hop.” Kabu greeted the two, before looking behind them with a confused stare. “Where is Leon and Professor Sonia? I was informed that they would be joining us.” 

“They had some business to take care of first. They sent us ahead to come greet you!” Hop announced, the worried look on Kabu’s face loosening slightly. 

“Sonia said that they will meet us later. And since I’m here, we need to talk about the defences.” Gloria noted, Kabu nodding as he began to walk. 

“Well we can discuss them at the gym, come with me.” 

They left the Inn, Hop quickly looking around for any sign of his brother. He was worried about him, but he knew Sonia could handle her brother if he shifted. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Charizard’s pokeball before throwing it in the air, the fire type pokemon shaking her head as the cool air hit her. Kabu turned around at that moment, an eyebrow raised as he took in the giant lizard. 

“Why is Charizard not with Leon?” He questioned, the pokemon in question huffing. 

“Leon has let me hold onto her for a while, just encase something goes wrong.” Hop answered, wincing when Kabu’s expression hardened. 

“This has something to do with the creature hasn’t it? Has he been attacked?” Hop could have sworn he heard a slight alarm behind the gym leaders' voice. 

“No, he’s fine, the creature can’t hurt him.” Gloria pointed out, Kabu turning to look at her. 

“And why is that?” 

“Because...” Gloria began, looking towards Hop for help, her brown eyes wide. 

“It’s because he’s been too busy with chairman things!” Hop blurted out, mentally kicking himself at his answer. 

“You’re both lying to me.” 

“Damn you’re good.” Gloria whispered, throwing her hands up in defeat. 

“We will tell you, but it’s really private so we have to go somewhere without any people. We can’t risk any panic, especially with this festival going on.” Hop began to lead the way, aware of Gloria, Kabu and Charizard following behind him. 

They entered the small café, the owner smiling at the new guests as he led them to the back. Kabu explained that he had this section cornered off for league meetings, claiming it was the most private place he could think of. They sat down, both teens sitting across from the old gym leader. 

“Would you two like anything to drink before we start?” Kabu asked, both teens shaking their heads. “Okay then, what would you like to discuss.” 

“It regards the defences against the creature. I am calling off all defences in each town. There is no need to put Galar on complete fear mongering lock down while we are solving the creature case.” Gloria began, Hop watching as she turned professional when addressing the gym leader. 

Hop had never been to a league meeting, his brother explaining that they could get heated very fast, so the Champion must have a cool head to deal with everything. Watching Gloria become a leader had been a big surprise as he was used to the cocky girl with the thick accent chewing him out for not winning the video game right. 

“But Galar is at risk again. We cannot let our guard down, especially regarding the last incident with Eternatus. We need to be on high alert and contain the creature when we can.” 

Hop rested his hand on Charizard’s head, hearing the pokemon growl at the gym leader’s response. 

“We already have the creature under control.” 

“And why is that?” 

“Because the creature is Lee!” Hop burst out, Kabu’s jaw dropping at the exclamation. 

“How is this possible? How is he the one terrorizing the towns.” 

“He’s been with us the past week, we know of a Lucario that has been posing as him to create damage to blame on him, to cause fear and mistrust. We are looking for a way to fix this, but we need all of the gym leaders to stand down.” Gloria explained, her expression serious. 

Kabu held his chin, clearly processing the information he had just been given. Even though it was only a minute, it felt like an eternity to Hop as he waited for the gym leader's response. 

“Is Milo and Nessa aware of this situation?” He asked, eyebrow raised. 

“Yes,” Hop responded, “Raihan has also been filled in too. We just want to warn the gym league before anything else gets too out of control.” 

Kabu nodded, Hop watching as the man took a sip of his drink. He was surprise at how calm the gym leader was with the information, but then again, Hop thought, Kabu was always the more rational one out of the gym leaders. 

“Alright, if we head over to the gym first so I can inform my staff that I will no longer be needing the defences, on the count the champion and her team have the creature under control, then I would like to visit Leon to see his predicament.” 

They exited the café, swiftly moving between the festival goers as they neared the Motostoke Stadium. They paused at the front door, Kabu informing them to follow as they entered. The stadium was quiet, Hop being used to the halls being packed with staff, trainers and fans, all eager to watch the gym challenge. Memories began to peak up in his mind, remembering how he met Bede, the snarky boy commenting on his lack of skill as Hop left the stadium. It stung, especially when it hit his stride after Bede beat him in a battle. He had to admit now though, Bede was a lot kinder after becoming the new Fairy type gym leader. 

They stopped at the front desk, Kabu quickly speaking to the receptionist as Gloria chimed in. Hop stayed back, turning around to watch Charizard sniff around the area. She seemed to be spooked, her tail twitching as she kept glancing towards the entrance. Before Hop could comment though, his phone flew up in front of his face, buzzing loudly as the rotom inside squeaked. His eyes widened at the caller I.D, picking up quickly and placing the phone to his ear. 

“Hop where are you!?” The frantic voice on the other line blasted into his ear, making him wince. 

“I’m at the gym with Gloria and Kabu. Sonia is everything alright, is Lee okay!!?” The panic began to swell inside of Hop’s chest, his anxiety spiking. 

“I don’t know, you need to get to the Inn straight away, I’ll explain everything when you get back. Please hurry!” 

Hop pulled the phone away when Sonia hung up, rushing to the desk and grabbing onto Gloria’s arm. She turned around, confusion on her face turning into panic at the sight of her friend. 

“We need to go to the Inn straight away, Lee’s in trouble.” 

Kabu turned at that, worry sparking in his gaze. Charizard turned towards the group at that moment too, her wings out and a wild look in her blue eyes. Gloria nodded, grabbing Hop’s hand and squeezing it gently. 

“Let’s go, Kabu can discuss the issue with his staff once this is all figured out.” Gloria stated, running towards the entrance as the rest of the group followed. 

Charizard charged ahead as they got out onto the street, the dark sky lingering over her form as she flew up and into one of the floors of the building. Hop knew she would have gone to her trainers' side, the lizard pokemon becoming more protective over him the last few days. 

After weaving and dodging the people in the busy street, they finally made it into the Inn. Hop’s eyes where wide as he watched people fumble around the reception, mutters of his brother's name being heard in amongst the chatter. Whilst Kabu and Gloria stormed off ahead, a sudden pull had him staying back. He looked towards the statue, focusing on the slight purple glow admitting from the gems. He felt as if this was linked to his brother and the gems where pulling him closer. 

Before he could even get close to touching them, a shout from Gloria snapped him out of the trance. He looked over, blinking a few times to clear the haze. Once he felt stable enough, he ran towards the rest of his little group, slipping into the elevator with them as Kabu pressed the button for the pent house. 

“According to the manager, Leon passed out in the hallway, bleeding from his ears.” Though Kabu seemed calm, Hop could hear the waver in his voice. 

“What do you think caused him to pass out?” 

“I think it was the statue Gloria.” Hop answered, thinking back on how the gems looked, “The gems where purple, like Lee’s hair. And I also felt connected to them somehow, like something was calling me.” 

Gloria and Kabu looked at each other before turning back to Hop. Gloria smiled slightly, putting her arms around her friend in comfort. 

“No matter what it is, he’s safe right now. We just got to figure this out.” 

The elevator pinged open; the group being faced with a particular sight. Lying on the floor, surrounded by pillows and blankets, sat Leon. Purple fur messed up and eyebrows knitted together in distress. Hop could hear occasional whines and whimpers from his brother, Hop hitching his breath as he realized his brother was experiencing a nightmare. 

“He shifted a while ago, but he’s not woken up. He ended up having a bad reaction to the statue downstairs.” Sonia’s voice cut through his thoughts. 

“We need to try and wake him up.” Kabu suggested, bending down in front of the creature and taking the large head in his hands. “I’m not worried about being bit, owning a Ninetails isn’t easy.” 

The group stood back as the watched Kabu, Hop even noticing the old Wooloo and Charizard was keeping back too. The gym leader began to slowly shake the shoulder closest to him, saying wake up over and over again. It felt like forever until they finally got a response. 

The whole room froze as Leon sprang up, eyes wide awake as the darted around the room, ears drawn back and teeth showing in a snarl. Kabu put his hands up as the yellow eyes locked onto him, the creature freezing in place as it took in the older man. 

“It’s okay son, I’m here.” Kabu spoke slowly, reaching a hand out to guide Leon’s head back down. 

Leon was trembling, tail between his legs as he whined. He leaned into the touch as Kabu began to scratch behind one of his ears, his other hand out as a sign to leave them be. No one else in the room moved, leaving Kabu to calm the chairman down. 

Charizard grunted from the other side of the room, both her and the wooloo approaching the nest. They hunkered down on either side of Leon, Charizard placing her wing over him as a form of comfort. It seemed to visibly relax Leon and Hop felt helpless, knowing he could not do anything to help. 

“Hop come sit down.” Gloria’s voice sounded from beside him as she grabbed his arm, leading him towards the sofa. “Kabu has it handled; Leon is going to be okay.” 

Hop should know that her words should reassure him, to let him know that everything was going to be okay. But he knew better, he knew that things were only going to get more difficult as they continued this adventure to find a cure for his brothers' curse. 

“It’s alright son, you’re going to be just okay.” Kabu’s soft voice caught Hop’s attention, watching as he stroked the top of Leon’s head in a calming gesture, the wolf whining as he fell asleep. 

Once Kabu knew that Leon was not going to wake up anytime soon, he stood and turned to the rest of the group. Sonia looked over from where she was fixing her hair, Gloria looking at the gym leader with hopeful eyes. Hop could not stop looking at the ground. 

“He should be okay for the rest of the night. I’m going to go ahead and get the defences taken down from Motostoke now that I know this situation is definitely under control. I shall meet you outside the hotel tomorrow to discuss things before your departure. Please take care and call me if anything else happens.” The Gym leader bid his farewell before leaving the room. 

Hop finally looked away from the ground, watching his sleeping brother’s form. He will be okay, he told himself. He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around to see Sonia offering him a bottle of water. 

“I suggest you hit the hay too, I’ll stay in here to keep an eye on him. I’ll wake you if anything happens.” 

Hop nodded, standing up to head to one of the beds in the room. He just hoped everything else goes smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah it's been a while. I've had so much happen that I had to abandon this fic for a bit. Don't worry though, I do plan on finishing it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the long absence but here is a new chapter!

To say Leon felt like shit was an understatement. He sat up, the heavy feeling of grogginess weighing him down to the makeshift bed on the floor. Scrunching up his face in confusion, he picked up one of the blankets, his memory going blank as to how he got where he was. Making a noise in the back of his throat, he stood up, leaning on the arm of the sofa for balance as his head span. He barely registered the soft worried voice next to him, or the hands that grabbed his shoulders to steady him before he planted face first into the floor. Everything was too much, and he felt as if any movement would cause him to spill his guts all over the floor.

“On, can you hear me? Leon!” 

It felt like forever before he could finally register Sonia’s voice, turning to look into her blue eyes, mouth pulled down into a look of concern. He blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear some of the haziness that lingered.

“What happened? Where am I?” He managed to get out, his voice weak as his throat burnt. 

“You ended up passing out in the hall of the Inn, we had to carry you up here and place you down on the floor. You shifted during your sleep. Do you remember what happened to cause this?” The professor ranted off, quieting her voice as she saw Leon flinch. 

Leon racked his mind, sitting down on the sofa as Sonia grabbed a glass of water. He remembered walking into the Hotel, they had come to visit Kabu. Trying to find any memories after that proved difficult, his brain turning up blank, an echo of a high pitched scream ringing in his ears. He was saved from Sonia coming back from the kitchenette, a glass of cool water in her hand. He thanked her, grabbing the water and chugging it down. It was like a relief, a river washing over him to give him a new sense of energy. 

Before he could answer Sonia’s earlier question, he was tackled in a hug by his younger brother, Hop grabbing onto him tightly and refusing to let go. Gloria followed from behind, sneakily grabbing a picture of the scene before any of the victims could protest. Turning down to his brother, he placed his hand on top of the bed head, his usual spikes shaggy around his face due to his sleep.

“Lee I’m so glad you’re okay. You worried all of us! I had no idea if you were going to wake up!” Hop’s voice was frantic, eventually sitting up to face his older brother. Leon held back a wince, taking in his brother's face for the first time. Hop’s eyes were black, the bags from countless sleepless nights taking his toll. His brother looked extremely exhausted, and he knew it was his fault.

His breathing began to pick up again, hands going to his sides as he fiddled with the blanket. As soon as his hand flew away from the blanket, ready to start to scratch at his side, a wooly head resting against his palm. His eyes flew down to his side, his face relaxing at the sight of the old Wooloo, her graying muzzle almost like a polite smile as she bleated towards him, causing him to laugh slightly at her. 

He was reminded of when he was younger, when he dealt with panic attacks at school before he left to become the champion. His father always sent his Riolu with him, the pokemon always holding his hands until he calmed down, providing the comfort he needed whilst everything became too overwhelming. He managed to find other coping mechanisms when his father left, taking his only support with him. Leon would never forget that day, his mother, heavily pregnant, and his father, a scientist, began to argue again.

He was six at the time, sitting in the room across from the kitchen. They were always too loud, never once letting each other speak. His Father had been offered a new job, a lab in Hoenn impressed with his work and wanting him to move across regions to work there. His Mother, taking care of her own parents as well as her own child and soon to be newborn, did not want to move, countering back that the baby was going to be here soon and she did not want the stress of moving on top of everything else.

The relationship was always a strain, always picking a little thing to fight over. Leon was surprised the relationship did not end any earlier. He remembers his Father’s words clearly, the man walking into the room with his bags in his hands. He ruffled Leon’s hair, smiling sadly at his son as he said they will meet again someday, before putting his Riolu back into its pokeball. Leon did not understand what happened back then, but he vowed he would never be like his Father, taking the role of a caretaker as soon as Hop was born. 

“Are you ready Leo?” Sonia interrupted his remeonces, opening the guest room door to place his bag on the floor. “I hope you don’t mind that I packed for you.”

Smiling, he thanked her, turning around to call Charizard back to her Pokeball. As much as he loved her being out, she was extremely recognizable and he could not handle fan attention today. They both headed to the elevator together, the Wooloo staying by his side the entire time. He was grateful that Milo let them take her, the little sheep Pokemon being a very supportive addition to the group.

Once they left the Inn, they noticed a figure standing with the two youngest of their little group near a Corviknight Cab, closer expansion realizing that it was Kabu. The fire type gym leader seemed to notice them both, smiling softly as they approached. Leon knew the man well enough to know that was just a ghost of a smile on his face. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr Chairman.” Kabu greeted Leon, smiling back.

If this was any other place, both men knew that Leon would throw his arms around his Father Figure, being away from the man causing him great grief whilst waiting to meet again. 

“Pleasures all mine Kabu. I apologize for not being very welcoming last night.” He joked, causing the older man to laugh slightly.

“No worries Leon, I am just glad you seem to be recovering okay.” He turned to the rest of the group, making sure they had his attention. Leon suppressed a snort, the situation reminding him of when he was still in school. “I have tasked this driver to safely transport you all to Stow-on-Side. Bea is currently training the new gym leader, Allister, and would like Gloria’s input on his improvement. I also thought it would help you to warn her about your little situation and continue on towards Ballonlea to inform Bede.”

If Leon heard Hop’s snort at the name of the new Fairy type gym leader, he chose to ignore it. They all clambered into the Taxi one by one, Leon waiting to join last as they all said their goodbyes to Kabu. Before he could climb up however, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around facing Kabu, as the older man engulfed him into a hug, the protectiveness causing Leon to melt into the embrace as he clung back.

“Please be careful son,” The words that came out made Leon choke back a sob. “Come back without any new scars okay?”

“I will, Dad.” Leon spoke softly back, pulling away from the embrace and climbing onto the taxi, sitting next to his brother.

He noticed Hop looking at him as the cab took off, the Corviknight giving a powerful Squawk as it glided into the current of the wind. He smiled back, reaching a hand out to ruffle Hop’s hair as the teen protested, Gloria and Sonia stifling giggles at the sibling’s actions.

The trip seemed to be over too quick, Leon getting lost in the cool breeze that whipped past his hair. The town of Stow-in-Side was coming closer and closer as they landed outside the gym. Hop and Gloria hopped out first, Sonia following to make sure the teens did not run off. Leon took his time, before helping Wooloo down, spitting out some of her wool that had gotten caught in his mouth. She belated towards him, as if mocking his situation. He wished he could have shifted so he could hear what she said. 

“She should be inside the gym, let’s get going.” Gloria called them over, the group sticking together as they entered the gym.

Gym staff surrounded the place, decorating and changing out props that were once fighting types, to a nice dark purple that represented the ghost type pokemon well. Leon was aware that gyms could trade out, remembering when Melony announced her retirement and passed the gym down to her son. Though she expressed how she was upset with Grodie pursuing a career in rock types, her eyes shone bright as she watched her son take her place.

“Gordie was extremely difficult to beat Lee!” Hop had told him one night after the championships. Leon smiled, telling him about Melony. “I’m glad I didn’t have to fight her.” He had responded.

“Alright Alister. We have to set up your trial! I know you're a shy little dude, but we can do this!”

The voice of the Fighting type gym leader flew down the hall, the group following it until they found the two at the doors to the gym trial. Gloria and Hop shouted towards them, causing the two young gym leaders to turn around. Leon stopped as he saw the new gym leader, the short boy’s covered face looking into his soul. Yeah he could do this..

“Hop! Gloria! I want you guys to meet the newest gym leader, Alister! He’s taking over whilst I head over on the Isle of Armor for a few years to train.” She pushed the younger boy towards the two other teens, Alister shyly waving towards them.

“Woah you’re a Ghost type gym leader!?” Hop burst out in excitement. “That sounds so cool. What ghost ‘mons do you have!?”

Just as Hop spoke, a Mimikyu came around the corner, heading towards the Wooloo that stood next to Leon. It reached up to rub itself on the Wooloo’s leg, clearly happy to see another pokemon out of it’s pokeball.

“I’m sorry!” The young boy cried out, running over and picking the Mimikyu up. “She’s extremely friendly when not in battle. You are the Chairman aren’t you? I thought it was just the champion visiting today.” 

Leon thanked his hearing as the boy rambled quietly, smiling slightly as he placed his hand on the kids shoulder.

“I’m not here to judge you, don’t worry. I was young when I started too so I understand being nervous.” Leon spoke back, a smile on his face as the boy’s eyes lit up behind his mask.

“Alister come on! We’re gonna show Gloria your plans for the gym trial.” Bea called, Alister mumbling a quick goodbye before heading off to join the little group.

He turned towards Sonia and Hop, both of them pulling out their notes. 

“We’re going to have a look around Stow-in-Side and see if we can find any clues that lead to your predicament, might ask the antique store if they have any lost journals or something.” Hop had put up, turning to catch up with Sonia after they both waved goodbye.

That just left Leon and Wooloo, both standing in the middle of the Gym. He headed outside, twitching a bit as his nerves were high. He has not been alone since Hop had found out his secret, and now the silence of his absent peers was not helping his mindset at all. The crunch of the leaves under his shoes caused him to jump ever so slightly, senses high and eyes scanning his surroundings. Wooloo softly bleated at his feet, sensing his distress and wanting to help. His hand went back to her wool, the feeling of the bouncy fluff underneath his palm helping a it did this morning.

Still feeling uneasy, he headed towards the stairwell that headed up towards the monument. Each step he took, he felt calmer, like a strong calming pull was calling for him to follow. Getting to the top, he stopped as his eyes landed on the statues, the monument only being uncovered around six months back. He felt ill, looking at the two wolves, knowing that he now shared a connection to them. They had helped him the first few nights he began to turn, when they found him in the ditch, protecting Hop from him. He laughed slightly, a painful feeling in his chest as he remembered his little brother’s face, blood coating his cheek from where he had hurt him.

He was a monster, he did not understand why everyone was helping him. They were just going to get hurt.

“Leon?”

He whirled around at the sound of his name, teeth bared, eyes yellow and claws sheathed. He had not even realised he had shifted a bit. Eyes darting around, they landed on the young ghost type gym leader, the boy standing in front of him, no trace of fear on his face. Leon noticed something different about his appearance too, his mask was missing.

“He’s not so creepy with the mask on.” The Wooloo bleated, Leon now noticing that he could understand her now.

“My trainer ain’t creepy miss wool lady!” A voice piped up from beside Alister, the Mimikyu from earlier looking round from the kid’s leg.

“You understand them don’t you?” Alister was suddenly very closer than he remembered him being, the young kid already grabbing one of his hands and examining the claws.

“How are you not scared?” Leon asked, ignoring the question directed to him in the first place. 

“I knew the legend was true, but I cannot believe it was you Mr Leon, especially since the hero had died several years ago. The Gengar is going to enjoy this tale tonight.” He continued, moving on to pull Leon’s lip back to look at his fangs.

“Look kid, I’m not some kind of freak show you can prod at.” He grabbed Alister by the waist, setting him down a few steps away. “And what do you mean by Gengar?”

“The Gengar knows all, he’s been the longest ghost pokemon since the beginning of Galar itself. They know everything and they warned me a new beast will emerge from the tales. I had no idea it was you! How did you get cursed anyhow?”  
This kid was a lot more talkative than he remembered. He moved to take a seat in the monument, sitting at the edge under who he presumed was Zacian.

“Kinda got some weird viel into me.” He replied, watching as Alister shook his head.

“It must have included the Hero’s blood. I heard rumours from some of the haunters that they have had some top scientists working on it, all the way from the Hoenn Region.” 

“Who has?” Leon froze, turning around to look at the kid sitting next to him.

“I’m not too sure, but I wish you luck. The curse isn’t kind. Unfortunately this is all I can tell you, but I know that Ms Opal has had some experience from the fairy pokemon with curses. It may be best to seek her out.”

Leon stood up quickly, turning around to thank Alister. The gym leader smiled shyly back, glad he could be of service.

“One more thing.” Alister called out as Leon made his way down the stairs, the Wooloo following close behind. “Find her in your wolf form. The Mushrooms will help you!”

“Alright! Thanks kid!” He called out before he headed off to find the rest of the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope yall enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed!!


End file.
